/I 


;/  1C 


BORN  AGAIN 

BY 

ALFRED  LAWSON 


Author  of 

"MANLIFE" 

"CREATION" 

"LAWSONOMY" 

"DIRECT   CREDITS" 

AND  MANY  OTHER  BOOKS 

Inventor  of 

THE  AIRLINER 

TRANS-OCEANIC  FLOAT  SYSTEM 

TWO-TIER  PASSENGER  COMPARTMENT 

AND  MANY  OTHER  MECHANICAL  DEVICES 

The  Discoverer  of 

THE  CAUSE  OF  SEX 

THE  CAUSE  OF  GROWTH 

THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

THE  CAUSE  OF  ATTRACTION 

THE  CAUSE  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS 

THE  CAUSE  OF  CAPILLARY  ACTION 

ZIG-ZAG-AND-SWIRL  MOVEMENT 

CONTINUOUS  MOVEMENT  OF  MATTER 

THE  LAW  OF  PENETRABILITY 

THE  EQUAEVERPOISE 

The  Founder  of 

LAWSONOMY— The  Knowledge  of  Life 
THE  DIRECT  CREDITS  SOCIETY 


HUMANITY    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 
606  Woodward  Ave.,  Detroit,  Mich. 


COPYRIGHT,  1904 

by 
ALFRED   WILLIAM    LAWSON 


DEDICATION 

NE  day,  not  many  years  ago,  while  walking 
along  a  street  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  I  was 
stopped  by  a  ragged  and  forlorn  beggar, 
with  the  request  lor  a  few  cents  to  buy  something 
to  eat. 

I  gave  him  a  dime  and  walking  on  a  few  paces 
stopped  to  observe  his  following  movements.  Con 
trary  to  my  supposition  that  perhaps  he  would  enter 
a  saloon  and  buy  whiskey  he  went  as  fast  as  his  weary 
legs  would  carry  him  in  a  straight  course  toward  a 
restaurant  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street. 

As  he  was  about  to  enter  the  place  his  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  more  pitiable  wretch  than  him 
self  standing  outside  who  had  but  one  leg,  was  partly 
blind,  and  whose  nose  was  almost  eaten  off  by 
disease. 

He  paused  for  a  moment  and  looked  sympatheti 
cally  at  the  crippled  beggar  and  then  started  again 
toward  the  door  of  the  restaurant,  but  before  enter 
ing  he  stopped  once  more  to  take  another  look,  and 
after  a  few  moments'  hesitation  he  deliberately 
turned  about,  handed  the  other  fellow7  the  dime  and 
walked  away  without  feeding  himself. 

Of  all  the  heroic  deeds  I  have  ever  witnessed,  I 
recollect  none  quite  so  grand  and  noble  as  this  act, 
for  notwithstanding  this  poor  beggar  may  have  been 
heir  to  every  other  weakness  a  human  being  could 
possibly  contract,  still  he  contained  that  spark  of 
unselfish  love  for  his  fellow  beings,  without  which 
no  man  is  more  than  a  mere  brute,  and  for  that 
reason  I  respectfully  dedicate  this  work  to  his 
memory. 

ALFRED  WILLIAM  LAWSON. 


BORN    AGAIN 


CHAPTER  I 

Judging  from  my  own  experience  it  is  my  opinion 
that  many  strange  and  wonderful  events  have  hap 
pened  during  the  past  in  which  man  took  part,  that 
have  never  been  recorded. 

Many  reasons  could  be  given  for  this,  but  the 
main  causes  perhaps,  are  that  the  participants  have 
lacked  the  intelligence,  education  or  literary  ability 
to  properly  describe  them. 

In  these  respects  I  must  admit  my  own  inferiority. 
But  I  feel  that  should  I  not  promulgate  an  account 
of  my  own  remarkable  life  for  the  benefit  of  man 
kind  then  I  would  betray  the  trust  nature  has  con 
fided  in  me. 

So  I  warn  the  exquisite  literary  critic  and  the 
over-polished  individual  who  prefer  fancy  phrases 
to  logical  ideas,  that  this  work  may  somewhat  jar 
their  delicate  senses  of  perception. 

And  having  offered  these  few  remarks  I  shall  in 
troduce  myself  to  the  reader: 

My  name  is  John  Convert.  The  earth  is  my  home 
and  country.  All  men  are  my  kin,  be  they  white, 
black,  red,  yellow  or  brown.  I  was  born  somewhere 
on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  between  Liverpool  and  New 
York  while  my  parents  wrere  emigrating  from  Eng 
land  to  America.  My  mother  died  giving  me  birth. 


6  .  BORN     AGAIN 

Whether  or  not  it  was  because  I  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  while  in  a  state  of  transit  that  caused 
me  afterwards  to  acquire  a  thirst  for  travel  and 
adventure  I  cannot  say,  but  true  it  is  that  during 
my  whole  life  I  have  been  constantly  moving  from 
place  to  place. 

Then  again  my  father  was  a  Methodist  preacher 
and  the  good  Lord  ostensibly  sent  calls  to  him  from 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  United  States,  for  as 
long  as  I  can  remember  he  too  was  continually 
changing  abiding  places.  In  fact,  it  seems  to  me  now 
when  I  look  back  that  he  seldom  preached  twice 
from  the  same  pulpit.  Whether  this  was  due  to  bad 
preaching  or  because  he  had  the  courage  to  tell  the 
good  church  folk  many  plain  truths  concerning  them 
selves,  I  know  not,  but  I  do  know  that  in  many  ways 
my  father  was  a  very  good  man,  and  also  a  very 
learned  man — perhaps  a  little  too  learned  to  be 
wise,  for,  like  most  great  scholars  he  may  have 
forced  so  much  book  stuff  into  his  brain  that  he  left 
no  room  for  progressive  thoughts  of  his  own.  He 
was,  however,  quite  unlike  many  clergymen  of  the 
present  time  who  apparently  think  and  certainly 
act  as  if  their  main  work  was  to  flatter  and  amuse 
the  women. 

My  father  was  straightforward,  honest,  kind  and 
truthful.  He  was  dogmatic  in  his  religious  beliefs, 
combative  by  nature  and  never  happier  than  when 
fighting  the  Devil  in  his  own  corner,  as  he  expressed 
it.  Furthermore,  he  was  haughty,  stubborn  and 
egotistical,  and  these  traits  of  character  I  inherited 
from  him. 


BORNAGAIN  7 

But  while  I  honestly  inherited  combativeness, 
stubbornness  and  egotism  from  my  father,  these 
characteristics  became  very  objectionable  to  him 
when  displayed  by  myself.  So  from  my  earliest 
childhood  days  there  was  a  continual  tug  of  war 
between  us  to  see  who  would  be  master  of  the  house. 

There  was  one  inheritance  I  received  from  my 
father,  however,  that  I  have  always  felt  profoundly 
grateful  to  him  for,  namely,  a  sound  physical  con 
stitution.  One  of  his  earnest  teachings,  which,  by 
the  way,  was  generally  ridiculed,  was  that  parents 
should  not  bring  children  into  the  world  unless 
they  themselves  had  led  temperate  lives  and  were 
in  perfect  health.  In  this  respect  he  lived  as  he 
preached  and  practiced  temperateness  in  all  things. 

As  I  grew  up  I  was  taught  to  take  care  of  myself 
physically,  as  well  as  mentally  and  morally.  At  the 
age  of  eleven  I  was  as  large  and  strong  as  most  boys 
of  sixteen,  and  at  sixteen  there  were  few  men  who 
could  outdo  me  in  feats  of  strength  and  endurance. 
My  education  was  limited  to  what  I  learned  at  the 
different  public  schools  which  I  attended,  and  with 
out  exception  I  was  always  rated  as  the  very  worst 
boy  of  the  whole  institution.  I  do  not  believe  that 
ever  a  day  passed  that  I  was  not  sent  to  the  principal 
for  refractory  conduct,  and  in  many  instances  I  was 
suspended  or  expelled  entirely.  Fighting  was  my 
chief  offence  as  I  was  always  ready  and  anxious  for  a 
fistic  encounter  with  any  boy  who  was  willing  to 
battle.  In  short,  I  was  a  very  unruly  child  with  an 
independent  spirit,  who  recognized  the  authority  of 
nobody  to  give  arbitrary  commands. 


8  BORN     AGAIN 

In  consequence  of  these  facts  my  father  and  I  had 
frequent  altercations  and  as  my  innate  love  for 
travel  and  adventure  asserted  itself  I  ran  away  from 
home  when  but  eleven  years  old,  an  age  when 
most  children  are  mere  babies,  and  started  out  in 
the  world  to  seek  my  own  success. 

I  began  to  earn  my  own  living  by  selling  news 
papers  on  the  streets  of  Chicago,  and  from  that  time 
on  became  a  wanderer  upon  the  face  of  the  earth; 
working  at  various  occupations  and  engaging  in 
many  schemes  and  pursuits  in  an  endeavor  to  pay 
my  way  through  life,  and  during  the  next  eleven 
years  I  not  only  visited  every  part  of  the  United 
States,  but  nearly  every  country  in  the  world,  during 
which  time  I  experienced  enough  adventures  to  fill 
many  books  if  put  into  print,  but  as  they  have  no 
bearing  upon  this  narrative  I  must  pass  them  by 
without  mention. 

So  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  being  then  a  worth 
less  vagabond,  I  was  aboard  a  three-masted  schooner 
working  my  way  from  Australia  to  England  as  a 
common  sailor.  That  was  during  the  year  of  1881. 


CHAPTER  2 

Phrenologists  after  studying  the  bumps  on  my 
head  have  invariably  told  me  that  I  lacked  diplo 
macy.  This,  as  I  understand  it,  simply  means  an 
incapability  of  acting  the  hypocrite.  And  it  does 
seem  under  the  present  system  of  human  existence, 
that  he  who  fails  to  practice  hypocrisy  finds  innum 
erable  obstacles  to  overcome,  which  otherwise  might 
be  avoided. 

So,  lacking  in  this  virtue,  as  diplomacy  is  some 
times  styled,  led  me  into  trouble  with  nearly  every 
body  with  whom  I  had  any  dealings. 

Indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  this  very  defect  in  my 
nature,  I  should  not  have  been  forced  to  pass  through 
the  most  remarkable  life,  I  think,  ever  experienced 
by  living  man. 

The  ship  had  barely  passed  out  of  the  harbor 
before  I  had  undiplomatically  aroused  the  enmity 
of  all  the  other  seamen,  and  within  two  weeks  I  was 
thoroughly  detested  by  every  man  aboard  from  the 
captain  to  the  cook. 

The  crew  was  composed  of  an  unusually  tough 
set  of  characters  who  avcwed  from  the  beginning 
that  they  did  not  like  Yankees  and  would  make  life 
insufferable  for  me  before  reaching  the  next  port. 
Fist  fights  became  frequent  and  each  one  of  the 


10  CORN     AGAIN 

sailors  took  a  "punch  at  my  head"  at  different  times, 
only  to  learn  that  I  enjoyed  that  kind  of  sport  and 
retaliated  in  a  way  that  laid  the  offender  up  for 
repairs  afterward.  The  fact  that  in  these  encoun 
ters  I  always  gained  an  easy  victory  over  my  oppo 
nents  caused  a  more  intense  feeling  of  bitterness  to 
exist  than  ever,  and  to  make  matters  worse  the  cap 
tain's  wife,  who  was  the  only  woman  on  the  ship, 
took  sides  with  me  against  all  the  others.  This  ap 
parently  angered  the  captain,  for  on  one  occasion, 
after  he  had  given  orders  to  have  me  put  in  irons 
for  breaking  one  of  my  shipmate's  ribs,  and  she 
interceded  in  my  behalf,  he  became  furious  and 
threatened  to  have  me  thrown  overboard.  This 
threat,  however,  only  had  the  effect  of  making  me 
more  stubborn  and  defiant. 

As  a  cowboy  I  had  fought  Indians  and  real  bad 
men  in  the  western  states  of  America,  hunted  ele 
phants  in  Africa,  tigers  in  India,  and  roughed  it  as 
a  gold  seeker  in  Australia  until  I  had  become  hard 
ened  against  danger  and  absolutely  fearless,  so  that 
a  menace  against  my  life  did  not  worry  me  in  the 
least.  In  fact,  I  really  enjoyed  the  situation  and 
dared  the  captain  to  do  his  worst. 

We  had  been  out  of  Sydney  about  four  weeks, 
and  although  I  did  not  know  the  exact  latitude  and 
longitude,  I  imagined  we  must  have  been  a  consid 
erable  distance  to  the  south  and  east  of  Cape  Colony. 

It  seems  to  me  now  that  I  heard  somebody  say  we 
were  a  little  further  south  of  the  regular  course 
taken  by  vessels  sailing  around  the  Cape. 

It  was  one  of  those  pleasant  nights  in  December, 
which  one  must  experience  in  southern  waters  to 


BORN     AGAIN  11 

appreciate,  that  I  took  my  turn  on  watch  in  the 
forward  part  of  the  boat.  It  was  past  midnight  and 
one  of  the  darkest  nights  I  have  ever  known.  The 
sea  was  rather  calm  but  a  good  breeze  astern  caused 
the  ship  to  make  good  headway.  I  was  all  alone  and 
paced  back  and  forth  from  side  to  side  peering  out 
into  space  and  darkness  ahead.  Occasionally,  I  would 
remain  for  several  minutes  leaning  against  one  of 
the  railings.  Except  for  the  splashing  of  the  sea 
against  the  side  of  the  ship,  all  was  quiet. 

As  I  stood  in  one  of  my  meditative  moods,  looking 
straight  ahead,  I  was  suddenly  attracted  by  some 
thing  which  caused  me  to  turn  quickly  and  look  in 
the  opposite  direction,  and  then  I  observed  the 
forms  of  four  men  coming  quickly  toward  me,  but 
before  I  realized  their  object_or  had  time  to  speak, 
they  grabbed  me  by  the  arms  and  legs.  I  struggled 
furiously  for  several  moments  and  freeing  my  hands, 
dealt  one  of  them  a  vicious  punch  which  felled  him 
to  the  deck,  and  it  seemed  for  awhile  that  I  would 
shake  them  all  off,  when  suddenly  I  received  a  ter 
rible  blow  on  the  side  of  my  head  which  partially 
stunned  me,  and  during  the  instant  of  inactivity  on 
my  part  I  was  raised  bodily  high  in  the  air  and 
plunged  overboard  into  the  waters  below. 


CHAPTER  3 

It  was  in  a  semi-conscious  state  that  I  struck  the 
water  head  foremost,  and  it  was  by  instinct,  I  sup 
pose,  that  I  immediately  started  to  swim  away  from 
the  side  of  the  vessel. 

Although  I  was  a  powerful  swimmer  it  seemed 
as  if  I  should  never  reach  the  surface  again.  The 
sudden  and  unexpected  plunge  had  caused  me  to 
go  into  the  sea  with  my  mouth  open  and  thereby 
swallow  a  large  quantity  of  salt  water.  When  almost 
on  the  verge  of  strangulation,  however,  by  a  supreme 
effort  I  finally  managed  to  reach  the  air  again,  more 
dead  than  alive.  It  was  then  some  time  before  I 
regained  my  breath  and  fully  understood  what  had 
happened.  I  assure  the  reader  that  it  was  not  a  very 
pleasant  sensation  to  find  myself  out  in  the  middle 
of  the  ocean  without  even  the  support  of  a  life  pre 
server  and  the  ship  sailing  away  in  the  distance. 
During  my  adventurous  career  I  had  faced  death  a 
score  of  times  without  the  slightest  emotion  or  sem 
blance  of  fright,  but  as  I  floated  about  on  that  broad 
expanse  of  water  alone  I  then  realized  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life  what  a  tiny,  helpless  microbe  I 
really  was. 

Oh,  you  little  mortal  known  as  man;  you 
microscopical  mixture  of  protoplasm  and  egotism; 


BORN     AGAIN  13 

you  atomical  speck  of  ignorance  and  avarice;  you 
who  believe  that  the  earth,  moon,  stars  and  all  crea 
tion  was  manufactured  for  your  special  benefit;  if 
you  could  only  be  shown  your  actual  size  in  the 
universe  as  I  was  on  that  occasion,  I  think  it  would 
result  in  the  eradication  of  some  of  your  innate 
vanity  and  selfishness,  thereby  proving  an  incalcu 
lable  blessing  to  you. 

So  now,  I  was  placed  in  a  position  whereby  I 
could  feel  and  reflect  upon  my  own  littleness.  I  had 
absolutely  no  hope  of  being  saved  from  a  watery 
grave,  feeling  that  it  was  only  a  matter  of  an  hour 
or  two  before  I  should  succumb  to  the  inevitable 
and  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Still  I  was  un 
willing  to  give  up  the  few  bones  entrusted  to  my 
care  until  finally  overcome  by  exhaustion  and  so  I 
kept  afloat  by  lying  on  my  back  and  exerting  myself 
as  little  as  possible. 

At  length,  however,  my  strength  gave  way  en 
tirely  and  I  felt  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  I 
must  come  face  to  face  with  the  God  whom  I  had 
been  taught  to  believe  in  from  infancy  according  to 
the  Christian  faith.  Then  it  seemed  that  a  million 
thoughts  crowded  themselves  into  my  brain  at  the 
same  time. 

How  would  He  receive  me?  What  dire  judgment 
would  He  pass  upon  me?  Had  I  ever  done  anything 
to  merit  His  pleasure?  I  could  not  recollect  one 
good  deed  I  had  ever  accomplished  of  sufficient 
importance  to  call  to  His  attention,  but  on  the  con 
trary  I  recalled  a  thousand  bad  acts  I  should  not 
have  committed.  I  had  spent  a  roving,  aimless  exist 
ence  in  which  I  had  done  practically  nothing  to 


14  BORN     AGAIN 

increase  the  production  or  knowledge  of  the  world, 
I  had  lived  for  myself  alone — a  life  of  mere  pleasure 
seeking,  without  ever  a  thought  of  others'  rights  or 
happiness.  I  remembered  that  during  a  hunting 
expedition  in  Africa  how  I  had  once  shot  and  killed 
seventeen  spring-bok  in  one  day,  and  how  I  had 
swelled  up  with  conceit  to  know  that  I  had  de 
stroyed  the  lives  of  that  many  living  things.  True, 
they  were  not  human  beings,  but  were  they  not 
creatures  of  nature  as  well  as  myself?  What  right 
had  I  to  take  the  life  of  any  living  thing  at  all,  let 
alone  for  mere  pleasure?  What  excuse  could  I  now 
offer  if  tried  for  that  cowardly  offence?  Would  I  ask 
God's  forgiveness?  If  so,  would  it  be  any  better  to 
ask  Him  to  forgive  me  just  before  I  died  or  imme 
diately  afterward?  What  difference  would  it  make? 
Then  again  I  wondered  if  God  would  have  any  more 
respect  for  me  if  after  committing  the  deed  I  whined 
and  begged  for  mercy.  Would  He  not  consider  that 
cowardly  on  my  part?  Would  He  not  think  better 
of  me  if  I  went  forward  bravely  and  said:  Here  I 
am,  O  God,  I  know  I  have  done  wrong,  now  punish 
me  as  Thou  see'st  fit. 

What  would  I  do  if  I  were  to  occupy  the  Creator's 
position  as  supreme  judge  in  a  case  of  that  kind? 
Would  I  not  think  far  more  of  the  man  who  would 
come  forward  courageously  and  take  the  punish 
ment  he  deserved  than  the  creeping,  cringing  and 
whining  being  who  begged  for  mercy?  Would  God 
the  Creator  be  more  unreasonable  about  the  matter 
than  I,  whom  He  had  created? 

I  had  always  thanked  God  as  well  as  my  parents 
for  the  extraordinary  physical  strength  and  courage 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  15 

with  which  I  was  endowed,  and  during  my  life  of 
trials  and  hardships  that  courage  had  never  been 
shaken  by  man  or  beast,  but  now  I  felt  that  the 
crucial  test  was  about  to  be  applied.  Would  the 
courage  the  Almighty  gave  me  weaken  when  about 
to  face  Him  who  had  bestowed  it  upon  me? 

With  these  and  similar  thoughts  passing  through 
my  mind  and  my  strength  exhausted,  I  took  one 
long  breath  and  sank  beneath  the  water. 


CHAPTER  4 

Sinking  slowly  down  with  a  feeling  of  drowsiness 
stealing  away  my  senses,  I  was  suddenly  awakened 
by  my  body  coming  to  an  abrupt  stop  and  resting 
upon  some  hard  substance.  My  first  impression  was 
that  I  had  collided  with  some  huge  sea-monster  and 
was  about  to  be  devoured.  So  placing  my  hands  and 
feet  firmly  upon  it  I  sprang  upward  with  all  the 
force  I  could  command  in  an  effort  to  get  out  of  its 
reach,  but  to  my  great  surprise  my  head  and  half  of 
my  body  shot  out  of  the  water  into  the  air  above  and 
down  I  came  again  square  upon  my  feet  with  a  jolt 
that  caused  my  teeth  to  rattle.  And  there  I  stood 
with  my  head  and  shoulders  out  of  the  water  while 
my  lungs  inhaled  long  draughts  of  pure  fresh  air. 
I  was  too  astonished  to  think  and  too  weak  to  move, 
so  I  just  stood  there  motionless  until  I  had  regained 
my  equilibrium.  I  could  never  forget  how  sweet  life 
seemed  to  me  at  that  time.  For  a  long  time  I  re 
mained  standing  there  without  giving  a  thought  as 
to  what  I  was  resting  upon,  and  when  I  did  direct 
my  attention  to  the  question  I  was  incapable  of 
forming  a  satisfactory  solution  to  the  mystery.  Ac 
cording  to  the  charts  there  was  no  land  in  that  part 
of  the  ocean.  Could  it  be  a  whale,  I  wondered?  The 
more  I  thought  of  it  the  more  perplexed  I  became. 

The  night  was  very  dark  and  I  could  see  nothing 


BORN     AGAIN  17 

about  me  in  any  direction,  so  I  concluded  that  the 
only  thing  to  do  was  to  remain  standing  just  where 
I  was  until  daybreak.  It  was  a  long  and  tedious  wait 
and  I  suffered  much  from  stiffness  and  cold,  but  at 
last  dawn  appeared  and  I  anxiously  strained  my  eyes, 
looking  about  in  every  direction. 

Then  my  head  nearly  burst  with  a  feeling  of  joy- 
ousness,  for  within  two  hundred  yards  of  me  I  dis 
cerned  the  outline  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  hill  of 
rocks  protruding  from  the  deep,  and  as  the  light 
grew  brighter  I  started  to  wade  slowly  towards  it. 

This  was  an  extremely  tiresome  undertaking,  as 
the  bed  upon  which  I  had  been  resting  was  very 
rocky  and  uneven  and  I  received  many  bruises  be 
fore  finally  reaching  its  base.  My  limbs  too  were 
thoroughly  numb  and  almost  refused  to  work,  but 
with  each  step  ahead  the  water  became  shallower 
and  my  progress  less  arduous. 

As  I  went  forward  I  thought  it  was  by  the  mirac 
ulous  hand  of  God  that  my  life  had  been  saved,  for 
the  time  being  at  least.  Then,  again,  it  occurred  to 
me,  that  if  it  was  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  that 
saved  me,  it  must  have  been  by  His  hand  also  that  I 
was  thrown  overboard,  for  if  He  directed  the  one 
act  He  must  have  surely  directed  the  other.  So  why 
blame  the  sailors  for  attempting  to  take  my  life  if 
it  was  God's  will  that  it  should  be  done? 

Reaching  the  base  of  the  rocks  in  a  feeble  condi 
tion  and  staggering  like  a  man  under  the  influence 
of  liquor,  I  threw  myself  down  and  went  to  sleep 
just  as  the  sun  peeped  over  the  horizon. 

Several  hours  later  I  awakened  with  a  start  to  find 
the  burning  sun  directly  overhead  and  my  body 


18  BORN     AGAIN 

dripping  with  perspiration,  my  throat  parched  and 
an  awful  feeling  of  thirst  within  me.  My  tongue  felt 
as  though  it  was  several  inches  thick  and  it  seemed 
as  though  I  would  choke  immediately  for  the  want 
of  something  to  drink.  Aside  from  the  thirst,  how 
ever,  I  felt  considerably  refreshed  and  sprang  to  my 
feet  with  my  usual  agility. 

The  first  thing  that  attracted  my  attention  as  I 
looked  about  in  a  curious  manner,  was  that  this 
strange  pile  of  stone  which  protruded  from  the  sea, 
bore  evidence  of  having  once  been  a  part  of  some 
mammoth  building  which  had  apparently  been 
shaken  down  and  now  lay  in  a  chaotic  heap.  Some 
of  the  stones  were  of  tremendous  size  and  different 
in  shape  and  quality  from  any  others  I  have  ever 
seen.  Their  designs  showed  that  wonderful  skill 
must  have  been  employed  by  the  workmen  who 
originally  cut  and  fit  them  into  position.  The  whole 
mass  formed  a  sort  of  a  ragged  hill  about  one  hun 
dred  feet  in  diameter  and  the  highest  point  about 
forty  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

In  looking  about,  I  discovered  to  my  great  delight 
that  among  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  there  were  many 
little  places  which  acted  as  basins  to  store  up  water 
from  the  recent  rains,  and  I  immediately  took  ad 
vantage  of  these  conditions  to  quench  my  thirst  and 
bathe  my  face  and  head.  This  done  I  began  climbing 
up  toward  the  top  of  the  pile.  It  took  considerable 
time  and  patience  to  make  the  ascent,  as  the  stones 
were  massed  together  in  a  most  irregular  and  pre 
cipitous  manner.  Reaching  the  highest  point,  I 
eagerly  scanned  the  surrounding  horizons  with  the 
hope  of  seeing  some  passing  ship,  but  nothing  except 
sky  and  water  met  my  gaze. 


BORN     AGAIN  19 

Seating  myself  upon  the  topmost  rock,  I  became 
buried  in  the  depths  of  meditation,  and  as  I  sat 
perched  up  there  alone  without  even  a  glimpse  ot 
a  sea-fowl  for  companionship  I  felt  as  if  I  was  the 
only  living  thing  extant;  in  fact,  I  actually  imagined 
myself  as  being  the  center  and  objective  point  of  the 
universe.  God  in  His  great  wisdom  had  flung  me 
there  for  some  purpose  or  other  and  was  watching 
my  movements  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else,  so 
I  thought.  Aye,  even  the  warmth  from  the  rays  of 
the  sun  had  been  arranged  for  my  special  benefit. 
How  big  a  little  faith  will  make  one  feel  sometimes. 

For  several  hours  I  remained  in  one  position, 
musing  over  my  strange  situation  and  wondering 
what  the  final  outcome  would  be.  At  last,  after  the 
sun  had  gone  down  and  darkness  began  to  encircle 
me,  I  decided  to  look  about  and  find  a  suitable  place 
to  lie  down  and  sleep  for  the  night. 

So  I  began  to  climb  from  rock  to  rock  until  I  had 
reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  jagged  plateau, 
when  suddenly  one  of  the  great  stones  wabbled,  I 
lost  my  balance  and  slid  down  an  incline  into  a  sort 
of  a  pit.  Then  my  feet  struck  something  which  mo 
mentarily  stopped  my  unexpected  descent,  but  it 
proved  to  be  a  mere  shell,  and  crashing  through  it 
1  landed  with  a  violent  jolt  about  ten  feet  further 
below. 

Although  somewhat  stunned  and  a  trifle  confused 
[•>y  the  suddenness  of  the  fall,  I  quickly  regained  my 
equanimity  and  looking  upward  I  saw  a  small  hole 
which  my  body  had  passed  through,  the  shaggy 
rocks  above,  the  dark  sky  and  a  few  stars,  but  the 
strangest  thing  of  all  was,  that  the  grotto  into  which 
I  had  fallen  was  as  light  as  day. 


CHAPTER  5 

After  all  I  had  passed  through  during  the  pre 
ceding  twenty-four  hours,  then  to  be  suddenly  cast 
from  the  outer  darkness  into  a  hole  as  light  as  if 
illuminated  by  the  mid-day  sun  was  a  revelation 
that  caused  me  to  seriously  doubt  my  own  senses. 
But  having  spent  a  life  of  travel  and  adventure  in 
which  I  had  faced  many  unexpected  dangers  and 
inexplicable  sights,  I  soon  regained  my  normal 
presence  of  mind  and  began  to  look  around  with 
considerable  interest.  I  was  now  fully  convinced 
that  the  great  pile  of  stone  which  I  had  so  strangely 
reached  had  at  one  time  formed  a  gigantic  structure 
moulded  together  by  human  ingenuity. 

The  enclosure  I  found  myself  within  might  have 
been  a  hallway  of  the  edifice,  but  it  was  hard  to 
positively  distinguish  it  as  such,  for  the  building  in 
falling  had  placed  things  in  an  almost  unrecogniz 
able  condition.  Some  of  the  great  stones  from  above 
had  passed  through  the  ceiling  and  floor,  while 
others  had  become  wedged  together  before  reaching 
the  surface,  thus  forming  a  very  ragged  and  peculiar 
aperture. 

In  places  where  there  were  no  obstructions  I 
noticed  a  beautiful  white  marble  floor,  while  here 
and  there  a  fragment  of  the  walls  showed  that  the 


BORN     AGAIN  21 

art  of  decorating  had  at  one  time  reached  a  degree 
of  proficiency  quite  unapproachable  by  our  modern 
artists.  The  space  I  found  myself  in  was  too  irreg 
ular  in  its  outlines  to  form  an  adequate  idea  of  what 
it  might  have  been  used  for.  In  some  places  I  had 
to  stoop  to  pass  along,  while  in  others  I  was  forced 
to  climb  over  great  blocks  of  stone. 

After  being  in  this  passage  about  half  an  hour 
making  an  inspection  of  the  premises,  I  discovered 
a  small  opening  which  led  into  another  apartment. 
It  appeared  that  a  great  door  had  separated  the  two 
rooms,  but  had  apparently  become  broken  with  the 
fall  of  the  building  and  left  a  space  barely  wide 
enough  for  my  body  to  pass  through.  So  in  I  went. 
Or  out  I  went,  I  was  not  quite  sure  which,  for  after 
squeezing  through  the  doorway  a  scene  presented 
itself  to  my  astonished  gaze  that  I  must  confess  my 
inability  to  properly  describe. 

The  view  before  me  was  a  mammoth  park  with 
its  variety  of  trees,  flowers  and  shrubbery  of  every 
possible  description. 

Straight  ahead  in  the  distance  and  plainly  dis 
cernible  was  a  running  brook  which  flowed  along  in 
a  devious  course  and  emptied  into  a  lake  far  beyond. 
And  there,  in  all  its  majesty  was  the  sun  just  sinking 
behind  the  horizon,  its  brilliant  radiance  forming 
the  most  beautiful  effects  of  colorization  upon  the 
distant  clouds  it  has  ever  been  my  good  fortune  to 
behold. 

I  stood  in  motionless  reverence  for  several  min 
utes  as  my  mind  expanded  with  wonder  at  the  mag 
nificent  panorama,  while  my  nostrils  inhaled  a  most 
delicious  fragrance  from  the  innumerable  plants 


22  BORNAGAIN 

which  seemed  to  put  new  life  into  my  enervated 
body. 

What  strange  phenomena  is  this,  I  soliloquized? 
On  the  outside  of  the  earth  the  sun  had  gone  down 
and  darkness  prevailed,  while  down  here,  in  under 
its  crust  I  found  it  blazing  away  in  all  its  splendor. 
In  fact  it  seemed  that  an  entirely  new  world  had 
suddenly  been  thrown  in  front  of  me. 

Was  I  really  alive  or  had  I  passed  into  some  other 
world,  was  the  next  question  to  enter  my  mind.  I 
remembered  that  I  had  fallen  a  considerable  dis 
tance  into  this  strange  place  and  was  somewhat 
stunned  in  the  tumble.  Perhaps,  thought  I,  my  body 
is  still  lying  somewhere  among  the  rocks  above  while 
this  is  only  my  spirit  wandering  about  in  a  fanciful 
manner. 

But  no,  looking  downward  I  plainly  saw  my 
massive  frame  dressed  in  sailor's  clothes  just  as  I  had 
left  the  ship  and  I  was  positive  of  being  alive,  awake, 
and  in  my  right  senses. 

And  the  wonders  multiplied. 

Looking  to  the  right  of  the  entrance,  a  short  dis 
tance  away,  I  observed  a  marble  platform  elevated 
about  two  feet  from  the  ground,  in  the  midst  of  huge 
flower-beds  and  shaded  by  large  trees,  upon  which 
sat  a  number  of  men,  silent  and  motionless,  with 
various  musical  instruments  in  their  hands  as  if 
they  had  just  finished  playing  and  were  taking  a 
short  rest. 

These  instruments  were  of  an  entirely  different 
pattern  from  any  I  had  ever  seen. 

And  the  men!  Oh,  if  I  only  had  the  power  to 
show  them  to  my  fellow  beings  as  I  saw  them.  What 


BORN     AGAIN  23 

an  imposing,  noble  looking  lot  they  were.  They 
were  all  about  the  same  size  and  not  one  of  them 
could  have  been  less  than  eight  feet  in  height. 

In  looking  at  them  closely,  I  noticed  that  they 
possessed  most  magnificent  physiques.  They  were 
neither  fat  nor  lean  and  their  well-groomed  bodies 
showed  plainly  that  no  horse  or  piece  of  machinery 
ever  received  better  care  or  attention.  While  they 
appeared  to  be  from  thirty  to  forty  years  in  ages,  not 
one  of  them  wore  a  mustache,  beard  or  any  other 
shaggy  decoration  of  the  face.  Their  foreheads  were 
broad  and  massive  and  extended  to  the  center  of 
their  splendidly  shaped  craniums.  Extraordinary 
intelligence,  kindness  and  gentleness  showed  forth 
from  every  feature  of  their  handsome  countenances. 
Judging  from  their  well-proportioned  frames,  each 
one  looked  powerful  enough  to  battle  single  handed 
with  an  elephant.  Judging  from  their  faces  not  one 
of  them  would  have  hurt  a  flea. 

Each  man  appeared  to  be  buried  in  the  depth  of 
thought — serious  thought — notwithstanding  every 
physiognomy  plainly  showed  that  the  utmost  happi 
ness  and  contentment  existed  within  each,  and  good 
will  between  all  of  them.  The  skin  of  their  faces, 
hands  and  feet  was  as  white  as  snow,  transparent, 
and  backed  by  a  beautiful  pink. 

At  first  sight  I  thought  they  were  the  gods. 

Uniformly  clothed  in  closely  fitting  garments 
from  the  ankles  to  the  neck,  their  superb  forms 
showed  complete  symmetrical  perfection.  The  hue 
of  their  raiment  was  indescribable  for  I  had  never 
seen  the  like  before.  In  fact  the  colors  actually  ap- 


24  BORNAGAIN 

peared  to  change  before  my  steady  gaze.  Their  feet 
were  bare,  very  shapely,  and  the  toes  of  greater 
length  than  ordinarily. 

As  I  stood  rooted  to  the  ground  and  viewed  them 
with  intense  admiration,  I  wondered  why  they  did 
not  speak  or  take  notice  of  my  presence.  But  finally 
in  order  to  attract  their  attention  I  shouted,  hello. 
My  voice  sounded  rather  harsh  and  peculiar  on  this 
occasion,  and  was  more  like  the  bray  of  an  ass  than 
anything  else,  but  they  made  no  motion  as  if  they 
heard  me,  or  were  aware  of  my  existence.  Walking 
over  to  the  nearest  one,  I  reached  up  and  touched 
him  on  the  shoulder.  Then  I  sprang  back  in  amaze 
ment,  for  instead  of  giving  any  sign  of  recognition  he 
merely  placed  his  instrument  in  position,  as  did  all 
the  others,  and  with  slow,  graceful  movements  be 
gan  to  play.  The  first  strains  of  music,  although 
distinct  and  supernaturally  grand,  seemed  to  be 
miles  away  but  gradually  increased  in  sound  as  if 
coming  nearer  and  nearer.  At  the  same  time  I  ob 
served  that  the  musicians,  who  were  not  only  using 
both  hands  in  the  manipulation  of  their  instruments 
but  with  graceful  dexterity  their  feet  as  well,  were 
becoming  enthusiastic  and  appeared  to  throw  their 
very  lives  and  souls  into  the  work.  If  at  first  while 
inactive  they  appeared  to  be  extraordinarily  intel 
lectual  beings,  now  in  action  they  looked  divine. 
Their  eyes  blazed  like  miniature  suns  shooting  forth 
sparks  of  a  thousand  different  hues.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  very  music  itself  came  from  the  expression  of 
vheir  faces.  And  on,  on,  on,  came  the  intoxicating 
strains,  increasing  in  volume  and  excellence  until 
I  imagined  that  all  heaven  had  broken  loose  in  one 


BORNAGAIN  25 

great  effort  to  charm  my  feeble  senses,  and  then 
with  a  thunderous  climax  it  ceased  instantly,  the 
musicians  smiled  and  bowed  pleasantly  to  one  an 
other,  and  then  resumed  their  former  attitudes. 

No  mortal's  pen  could  describe  my  ecstasy  while 
listening  to  the  music  produced  by  this  body  of — I 
must  say  heavenly  creatures.  There  was  something 
strange  and  analogous  about  it,  too,  that  seemed  to 
recall  a  mysterious  dream  or  vision  I  had  once  passed 
through.  Whether  it  was  caused  by  the  music  or  the 
kindly  expressions  of  love  for  one  another  on  the 
faces  of  the  players  I  know  not,  but  nevertheless 
great  tears  spontaneously  rolled  down  my  cheeks, 
the  first  I  ever  recollect  having  shed,  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  piece  I  remained  transfixed  to  the 
spot  for  several  minutes  in  deep  cogitation. 

Once  more,  however,  my  inquiring  nature  aroused 
me  and  I  walked  over  toward  the  leader.  His  face 
was  turned  slightly  in  another  direction,  so  I  de 
cided  to  step  up  on  the  platform,  get  squarely  in 
rront  of  him  and  look  straight  into  his  eyes.  So  with 
a  light  movement  I  sprang  for  the  rostrum.  But 
instead  of  reaching  it  my  foot  and  head  struck — not 
the  platform  but  solid  wall,  and  a  second  later  I 
found  myself  in  a  heap  on  the  ground.  Then  I 
started  to  think.  Next  I  began  to  feel  and  finally 
a  broad  grin  overspread  my  face,  for  the  scene  be 
fore  me  was  not  real  after  all,  but  a  wonderful  paint 
ing  on  the  interior  of  the  building. 


CHAPTER  6 

Putting  my  hand  against  the  surface  and  walking 
along  I  discovered  that  this  great  scene  which  ap 
peared  to  stretch  away  into  the  distance  for  several 
miles,  including  the  trees,  brook,  lake,  sun,  clouds, 
sky,  and  everything  else,  was  painted  on  the  wall, 
ceiling  and  floor,  of  a  circular  room.  The  ceiling 
was  arranged  in  the  shape  of  a  dome,  while  the  floor 
made  a  concave  connection  with  the  wall. 

The  whole  apartment  could  not  have  been  over 
fifty  feet  in  diameter.  The  entire  room  was  covered 
by  one  painting,  and  so  well  had  the  work  been  done 
that  the  only  way  I  could  discern  the  difference  be 
tween  the  real  and  artistic  scene  was  by  extending 
my  hands  in  front  of  me  and  feeling  my  way  along. 

But  what  about  the  music?  Surely  I  heard  it,  and 
without  doubt  the  skilled  musicians  had  performed 
their  work  right  before  my  eyes.  And  the  sun,  the 
light,  and  the  fragrance  from  the  flowers,  what 
about  these? 

While  in  a  state  of  perplexity  at  not  being  able  to 
understand  these  mysterious  things,  my  eyes  fell 
upon  something  which  I  had  not  noticed  previously, 
at  the  same  time  causing  me  to  give  a  sudden  start 
as  if  pierced  by  an  electric  shock. 


BORNAGAIN  27 

To  the  left  of  the  door  through  which  I  had 
entered  and  lying  in  a  reclining  position  upon  a 
bed  of  flowers,  similar  in  shape  to  a  modern  sofa, 
was  the  most  beautiful  object,  I  think,  ever  created 
—a  woman.  And  such  a  woman. 

Oh,  ignorant  humanity,  why  do  you  not  breed  all 
women  like  that  one? 

Although  nearly  twenty-three  years  have  passed 
since  then,  still  the  vision  of  her  is  as  fresh  upon 
my  mind  now  as  at  that  moment  when  my  eyes  first 
beheld  her.  And  as  I  think  of  her  now  I  am  unable 
to  repress  the  tears  from  filling  my  eyes,  strong  man 
that  I  am. 

Dressed  in  a  tight-fitting  costume  like  those  worn 
by  the  men,  with  the  addition  of  a  net-like  drapery 
of  light  material  entwined  about  her,  and  lying  in 
a  comfortable  position  partly  on  one  side,  with  her 
lovely  head  resting  upon  one  arm,  her  shapely  body 
and  limbs  posed  gracefully  and  her  eyes  closed  in 
slumber,  she  impressed  me  as  being  the  queen  of 
the  universe. 

This  is  the  most  beautiful  part  of  the  whole  pic 
ture,  thought  I,  taking  a  few  steps  forward.  What 
artist's  imagination  could  ever  have  created  such  a 
sublime  and  realistic  work? 

As  I  stood  in  reverent  contemplation  of  her  my 
admiration  was  unbounded.  It  seemed  as  if  my  feel 
ings  would  burst  within  me.  My  first  love  for  woman 
was  then  and  there  confirmed  for  all  time.  I  decided 
I  would  stay  and  spend  the  rest  of  my  days  right 
there,  silently  attesting  my  everlasting  devotion  to 
that  divine  likeness  of  ideality.  Had  I  not  discovered 
that  the  whole  thing  was  a  work  of  art,  I  should 


28  BORNAGAIN 

have   felt   positive   that   she   was   really   alive   and 
merely  lay  there  in  peaceful  repose. 

Then  a  sudden  thought  passed  through  my  mind 
which  gradually  expanded  into  an  irresistible  desire; 
I  would  press  my  lips  to  hers  and  thereby  seal  my 
love  forevermore. 

Trembling  like  a  timid  school-boy  I  advanced 
closer.  How  lovely  she  appeared.  How  real.  Bending 
forward  and  putting  my  head  in  juxtaposition  to 
hers  it  seemed  as  if  I  actually  heard  her  heart  beat. 
It  may  have  been  my  own. 

With  my  face  flushed  and  feeling  that  perhaps  I 
might  be  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  one  who 
would  not  appreciate  my  caress,  I  tenderly  touched 
her  lips  with  mine.  For  another  moment  of  such 
indescribable  ecstasy  I  would  gladly  pass  through 
all  the  imaginary  tortures  of  the  infernal  regions. 
But  it  ended  there. 

No  sooner  had  our  lips  come  together  than  I 
became  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  adorable  object 
before  me  was  real  and  not  artificial  as  supposed. 

As  if  by  magic  her  mouth  twitched  slightly  and 
her  whole  frame  quivered  perceptibly;  then  she 
opened  her  eyes  and  finally  with  a  most  graceful 
spring  she  landed  squarely  upon  her  feet  directly 
in  front  of  me. 

I  jumped  backward  in  utter  amazement. 

And  there  we  stood  face  to  face  staring  into  each 
other's  eyes. 

I  then  noticed  that  she  was  about  seven  feet  in 
height  and  although  not  lean  still  there  was  not  an 
ounce  of  superfluous  flesh  on  her  serpent-like  figure. 


BORNAGAIN  29 

Like  the  men,  she  too  was  bare  footed,  and  her 
hair,  a  dark  silky  texture,  was  short  and  very  artis 
tically  arranged.  Her  snow  white  face,  transparent 
with  pink,  was  the  acme  of  loveliness,  with  an  ex 
pression  of  gentleness,  purity  and  modesty  plainly 
stamped  upon  every  feature.  Her  dazzling  eyes 
sparkled  with  the  brilliancy  of  huge  diamonds. 

Evidently  she  was  as  much  astonished  as  myself 
at  the  strange  course  of  events. 

Although  she  did  not  speak  still  I  received  an 
impression  from  her  as  if  put  into  so  many  words 
which  plainly  said:  "John,  am  I  dreaming  or  what 
awful  experiment  have  you  attempted  to  transform 
yourself  into  such  a  hideous  creature?" 

I  tried  to  speak  but  my  first  effort  nearly  choked 
me.  Then  in  a  voice  which  seemed  to  be  unusually 
coarse  I  finally  blurted  out:  "My  dear  lady,  will  you 
kindly  tell  me  who  or  what  you  are?" 

These  words  seemed  to  puzzle  her  more  than  ever 
and  after  hurriedly  glancing  about  the  room  she 
looked  me  over  carefully  from  head  to  foot. 

Speaking  once  more  I  said,  "Madame,  can  you 
understand  my  language?" 

Then  I  received  another  strange  but  unmistak 
able  impression  which  replied:  "I  can  understand 
your  thoughts  but  not  your  babble."  "Are  you  able," 
she  continued  telepathically,  "to  give  an  explanation 
of  this  extraordinary  metamorphosis?" 

"The  only  information  I  can  offer,"  answered  I, 
"will  be  cheerfully  given.  My  name  is  John  Convert, 
late  seaman  aboard  the  schooner  Brawl,  bound  from 
Sydney  to  London.  Last  night  I  was  thrown  over 
board  by  my  shipmates  and  after  floating  about  the 


30  BORNAGAIN 

deep  for  several  hours  I  landed  upon  this  pile  of 
ruins  surrounded  by  the  sea.  In  making  an  investi 
gation  of  the  exterior  I  lost  my  foothold,  fell  into  a 
crevice  and  breaking  through  a  thin  crust  I  landed 
in  the  outer  passageway  which  finally  led  me  into 
this  room.  I  must  confess  that  everything  here  is  as 
inexplicable  to  me  as  I  appear  to  you." 

As  I  spoke  she  seemed  to  be  laboring  under  in 
tense  mental  excitement  and  tears  came  to  her  eyes. 

"I  understand  it  all  now,"  she  made  known  to  me 
in  her  mysterious  way,  "the  experiment  failed." 

"What  experiment  was  that?"  questioned  I  in 
surprise. 

Looking  me  straight  in  the  eye  as  though  trying 
to  impress  upon  my  mind  the  importance  of  her 
communication,  she  answered,  "the  attempt  of  man 
to  change  the  course  of  the  earth  in  space." 


CHAPTER  7 

"And  so  you  intorm  me  that  there  is  nothing  left 
of  beautiful  Sageland  but  a  heap  of  ruins  surround 
ed  by  the  sea,"  mused  the  lovely — the  idea  struck 
me  to  name  her  Arietta — "tell  me  what  happened 
to  the  rest  of  my  people." 

"Not  knowing  anything  about  the  matter  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  answer  that  question,"  replied 
I;  "and  although  I  have  traveled  through  nearly 
every  country  on  earth  still  no  such  people  as  you 
or  the  magnificent  objects  represented  in  that  pic 
ture  have  ever  come  to  my  attention  before.  In  fact 
I  have  never  read  of  such  a  race  or  even  heard  of  a 
country  by  the  name  of  Sageland." 

At  this  remark  she  turned  abruptly  and  walked 
—or  rather  flew,  so  easy  and  graceful  were  her 
movements  —  over  to  a  portion  of  the  wall  and 
looked  long  and  earnestly  into  a  peculiar  instrument, 
then  returning  she  said:  (without  the  use  of  words) 
"according  to  my  chronometer,  more  than  four 
thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  awful  catastrophe." 

"Four  thousand,  two  hundred  and  thirty  years!" 
ejaculated  I,  "great  heavens,  that  must  have  been 
about  the  time  of  the  flood." 

"What  flood?"  inquired  she. 


32  BORNAGAIN 

Then  I  proceeded  to  tell  her  how  in  those  days 
the  people  of  the  world  being  so  wicked  that  God 
during  a  terrible  fit  of  anger  made  it  rain  for  forty 
days  and  forty  nights,  causing  the  destruction  of 
every  living  thing  on  earth  except  one  Noah,  his 
family  and  a  male  and  female  of  every  animal,  bird 
and  insect,  who  were  saved  by  being  taken  aboard 
of  a  huge  ark  built  for  the  purpose  by  Noah.  And 
then  after  every  living  thing  not  aboard  the  boat 
was  destroyed,  how  the  waves  receded,  Noah  and 
his  flock  were  safely  landed  upon  a  mountain  peak, 
and  God  put  a  bow  into  the  sky  as  a  pledge  that  he 
would  never  do  such  a  thing  again.  Arietta  appeared 
somewhat  amused  at  my  recital  of  the  story  and  at 
its  conclusion  merely  remarked:  "Noah  evidently 
had  more  good  sense  than  his  god."  Then  s^ie  added: 
"As  to  the  rainbow,  that  was  seen  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  millions  of  years  before  Noah's  time." 

"So  the  world  has  retrogressed  during  the  past 
four  thousand  years,"  mused  she  sadly. 

"Retrogressed!  No  indeed,  the  world  has  made 
great  progress  and  has  now  reached  a  wonderful 
state  of  civilization,"  answered  I,  proudly. 

Motioning  me  to  an  opposite  position  she  majes 
tically  seated  herself  upon  the  couch  and  after 
seriously  looking  at  me  for  some  time  she  finally 
said:  "This  is  one  of  nature's  most  extraordinary 
proceedings  and  there  are  many  things  I  wish  to 
talk  with  you  about,  but  before  going  into  the 
details  of  this  matter  I  am  anxious  to  get  a  view 
of  the  world  as  it  exists  now.  You  have  observed 
that  unlike  the  lower  animals,  in  which  rank  unfor 
tunately  you  belong  at  the  present  time" — here  I 


BORN    AGAIN  33 

interrupted  her  by  bursting  forth  into  loud  laugh 
ter,  not  because  I  enjoyed  being  called  an  animal 
myself  but  at  the  thought  of  how  some  of  my  civ 
ilized  friends  would  feel  if  informed  that  they  were 
lower  animals. 

My  intervention,  however,  not  disturbing  her  in 
the  least,  she  resumed:  "In  our  nomenclature  your 
species  was  known  as  the  Apeman,  and  represented 
in  the  chain  of  evolution  the  link  between  the  Ape 
and  Man.  Our  scientists  placed  the  Apeman  within 
the  ranks  of  the  lower  animals  for  reasons  I  shall 
make  c.lear  later.  But  to  continue,  you  have  observed 
that  unlike  yourself  I  have  been  conversing  with 
you  without  the  use  of  the  voice  but  with  the  mind, 
the  most  effectual  agent  of  communication  and  one 
of  the  senses  the  Apeman  has  not  cultivated.  Now 
I  shall  show  you  how  to  see  without  eyes. 

"Mind  sight  is  an  occult  force  which  was  exer 
cised  to  great  advantage  by  my  people.  This  force 
eliminates  both  distance  and  obstruction  and  ex 
poses  to  view  the  object  sought  even  if  it  is  located 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe.  Any  mind,  if 
sufficiently  strong,  can  contract  distance  and  bring 
any  mundane  scene  within  its  range  while  pene 
trating  solid  matter  as  if  it  did  not  exist  at  all.  So 
by  utilizing  this  power,  which  I  possess  to  a  consid 
erable  degree,  it  is  my  intention  to  make  a  hurried 
survey  of  the  earth's  surface  in  order  to  obtain  an 
exact  idea  of  present  conditions.  Furthermore,  by 
the  subtle  concentration  of  our  mind  forces  together 
I  shall  convey  to  your  inner  vision  the  actual  scenes 
witnessed  by  myself,  and  you  shall  act  as  my  mental 
consort  on  a  trip  around  the  world." 


34  BORNAGAIN 

After  the  many  wonderful  things  I  had_  already 
seen  it  was  my  opinion  that  there  was  nothing  im 
possible  for  this  beautiful  woman  to  perform,  so  I 
mildly  informed  her  that  I  was  at  her  service,  and 
ready  for  the  journey  to  begin. 

"Well  then,"  said  she,  "before  starting  I  wish  to 
warn  you  that  no  matter  what  you  see,  hear  or  feel 
on  this  trip  you  must  not  disturb  our  observation 
with  your  primitive  babble,  apish  laughter  or  by 
trying  to  offer  any  comments  whatsoever." 

At  this  remark  I  was  brought  to  a  realization  of 
the  fact  that  Arietta,  whom  I  so  ardently  loved,  aye 
even  worshipped,  was  treating  me  in  about  the  same 
manner  as  I  would  have  treated  a  pet  monkey  had 
I  been  teaching  it  some  new  tricks.  She  evidently 
regarded  my  smiles  and  feelings  for  her  with  about 
the  same  consideration  as  I  should  have  given  to 
those  of  some  grinning  female  baboon  had  it  been 
trying  to  make  love  to  me. 

Her  last  thoughts,  therefore,  aroused  my  sensitive 
nature,  and  a  violent  outburst  of  temper  was  the 
result.  I  did  not  mind  being  called  an  Apeman  so 
much,  but  hated  the  idea  of  being  treated  like  one, 
so  working  myself  into  a  passion  I  severely  censured 
her,  and  with  much  bluster  and  many  gestures  en 
deavored  to  impress  upon  her  mind  how  much 
superior  I  was  to  what  she  had  imagined. 

It  was  some  time  before  my  anger  abated,  and 
then  I  noticed  that  she  appeared  quite  unmoved  by 
my  wrath  but  sat  looking  calmly  and  alternately  at 
me  and  one  of  the  figures  in  the  picture,  while  her 
face  bore  an  expression  of  sadness  and  pity. 


BORN     AGAIN  35 

Then  I  felt  ashamed  to  think  of  what  a  lack  of  self- 
control  I  had  exhibited,  and  humbly  begged  her 
pardon. 

"Now,"  said  Arietta,  kindly,  and  I  fancied  that 
she  called  me  John,  "your  soul  is  at  present  running 
the  machinery  of  a  very  inferior  mind  and  body 
which  plainly  shows  all  the  cruel  passions  and  idiotic 
ideas  of  the  Apeman.  This  has  happened  through 
no  fault  of  your  own  but  is  the  result  of  circum 
stances  over  which  you  had  no  control  so  that  you 
are  not  responsible  for  your  present  condition. 

"However,  I  now  say  that  you  have  been  chosen 
by  nature  for  a  great  and  glorious  work  and  from 
this  time  forward  you  must  make  use  of  your  reason 
ing  faculties  for  reasonable  purposes  and  cast  aside 
all  the  animal  passions,  silly  ideas  and  antiquated 
superstitions  which  you  have  inherited  from  the 
ignorant  of  ages,  and  begin  afresh. 

Before  starting  on  our  journey  perhaps  it  would 
be  well  for  us  to  take  some  refreshments  in  order 
that  our  minds  may  remain  strong  and  clear  during 
the  trip.  We  take  our  nourishment  in  a  different 
way  from  you  cannibals,"  said  Arietta,  as  she  went 
to  one  of  the  artificial  flower  gardens,  began  inhaling 
and  motioned  me  to  do  likewise. 

"But  we  are  not  cannibals,"  I  mildly  remon 
strated,  "we  do  not  kill  and  eat  human  beings." 

"Do  you  not  kill  and  eat  the  flesh  of  other  living 
things?"  inquired  she. 

"Yes,"  replied  I,  "our  diet  consists  of  the  flesh  of 
birds,  fish  and  cattle  which  God  with  great  wisdom 
created  for  that  purpose." 


36  BORN     AGAIN 

"Did  he?  Then  you  must  worship  a  cannibal  god, 
for  it  is  but  a  very  short  step  between  eating  the 
flesh  of  your  own  species  and  that  of  others.  That  is 
one  reason  why  our  scientists  ranked  the  Apeman 
with  the  lower  animals. 

But  come,  inhale  this  perfume  and  see  if  it  is  not 
far  more  refreshing  and  less  disgusting  than  to  fill 
your  stomach  with  roasted  flesh." 

At  her  suggestion  I  stationed  myself  near  the 
flower  bed  which  contained  a  large  variety  of  the 
most  beautiful  plants  I  had  ever  seen.  She  touched 
several  of  them  lightly  and  immediately  the  air  was 
saturated  with  a  most  delicious  fragrance  caused, 
no  doubt,  by  an  automatic  arrangement  concealed 
within  each  flower. 

I  stood  like  one  in  a  most  delightful  dream  in 
haling  the  invigorating  fumes,  and  with  each  suc 
ceeding  breath  my  body  became  stronger  and  my 
mind  brighter  until  I  thought  I  should  surely  die 
from  the  effects  of  exuberant  joy,  when  my  atten 
tion  was  attracted  by  Arietta,  who  said:  "Come,  you 
greedy  little  pig,  don't  you  know  when  you  have  had 
enough?"  Then  she  added,  "but  I  forgot  that  among 
your  species  greediness  is  considered  a  virtue." 


CHAPTER  8 

"Greediness  considered  a  virtue  among  my 
species."  Surely  I  must  have  misunderstood  her, 
thought  I,  once  more  seating  myself,  preparatory  to 
beginning  my  mental  journey  with  Arietta.  And  I 
was  glad  to  know  that  she  would  shortly  view  our 
civilization  as  it  existed,  feeling  positive  that  she 
would  then  change  her  ideas  regarding  my  species 
being  lower  animals.  I  felt  that  it  was  my  own 
fault  because  she  harbored  such  an  opinion  and  that 
I  was  to  blame  for  being  such  a  poor  representative 
of  my  race  for  her  to  judge  by. 

"Now,  let's  be  off,"  said  she,  "as  I  feel  that  my 
time  will  be  short  with  you  and  we  had  better  make 
the  best  of  it  while  it  lasts." 

"Time  short  with  you."  Those  words  gave  me 
more  pain  than  if  a  sword  had  been  thrust  through 
my  body.  "By  all  the  gods  of  eternity,  I  would  not 
care  to  live  ten  minutes  if  anything  happened  to 
that  heavenly  being,"  thought  I,  gazing  at  her  with 
rapturous  feelings  of  tenderness.  "Call  me  a  lower 
animal,  a  hideous  creature  or  a  greedy  pig,  and  treat 
me  like  one  if  you  will,  but  do  not  leave  me.  Stay 
and  let  me  be  your  slave  forever."  Those  were  my 
sincere  thoughts.  She  understood  them,  but  made 
no  response. 


38  BORNAGAIN 

Settling  back  in  a  comfortable  position  with  my 
eyes  fastened  upon  Arietta  in  loving  adoration,  the 
scene  changed  instantly  and  I  found  myself  once 
more  upon  the  rocks  in  the  middle  of  the  sea.  The 
sun  was  just  rising  in  the  east  and  another  day  was 
begun. 

Then  our  meteoric  flight  commenced,  and  quicker 
than  it  takes  to  relate  I  was  high  up  among  the 
clouds  and  peering  down  at  a  familiar  landscape.  I 
recognized  the  location  at  once  as  the  district  occu 
pied  by  and  surrounding  Cape  Town,  South  Africa. 

I  had  been  there  before.  But  how  peculiar  every 
thing  appeared  now  as  I  looked  down  from  above. 
I  could  plainly  discern  the  harbor  and  great  table 
land  in  the  scene  before  me,  although  apparently 
shrunk  in  size,  but  the  city  itself  resembled  a  little 
toy  village,  while  the  largest  ships  in  the  harbor  re 
minded  me  of  the  tiny  boats  I  used  to  construct 
when  a  child  and  float  about  in  the  bath-tub.  But 
where,  oh  where,  was  the  greatest  of  all  exalted 
things — that  for  which  the  entire  universe  and  all 
that  it  contains  therein  was  constructed  —  mighty 
man?  He  could  not  be  seen.  In  fact  he  was  as  com 
pletely  invisible  as  the  pestilential  germ  on  the 
back  of  a  sick  flea.  "If  I  only  had  a  microscope," 
thought  I,  "perhaps  I  could  see  him."  Then  I  be 
gan  to  descend,  until  finally  I  discovered  innumer 
able  little  creepers  moving  about  in  all  directions. 
They  were  men.  At  first  sight  they  looked  to  be 
about  the  size  of  ants,  but  as  I  got  closer  to  the  earth 
they  increased  in  bulk  until  they  appeared  to  be  at 
least  three  inches  in  height,  and  then  their  import 
ance  became  noticeable.  As  they  moved  about  in 
great  numbers  and  I  came  into  close  proximity  with 


BORN     AGAIN  39 

them,  I  observed  that  the  actions  of  some  was  appa 
rently  sensible  but  that  the  doings  of  the  most  of 
them  was  positively  ridiculous.  For  instance,  here 
was  one  set  of  creatures  diligently  toiling  to  produce 
something  and  getting  nothing,  while  here  was  a 
set  of  idlers  doing  absolutely  nothing  but  receiving 
everything.  The  real  producer  of  all  the  necessities 
and  luxuries  of  life  was  actually  giving  nine-tenths 
of  the  fruits  of  his  labor  to  a  class  of  loafers  and 
schemers  who  took  it  as  a  divine  right,  and  then 
begrudged  him  the  one-tenth  he  received  of  his 
own  production.  I  observed  that  for  every  one  of 
these  producers  there  were  ten  non-producers  who 
spent  their  time  and  efforts  devising  the  best  ways 
and  means  to  confiscate  that  which  had  been  pro 
duced.  It  seemed  strange  that  the  producer  would 
allow  this  state  of  affairs  to  exist;  but  he  did,  and 
seemed  quite  elated  sometimes  to  think  that  the 
non-producer  would  permit  him  to  live  at  all.  I 
noticed  that  most  of  the  non-producers  were  fat  and 
bloated  from  being  over-fed  and  from  guzzling  pre 
pared  liquors,  and  that  they  were  clothed  with  the 
finest  materials  the  producer  could  contribute,  while 
the  producers  themselves  were  lean  and  hungry 
looking  objects,  and  were  dressed  in  rags.  I  had 
seen  these  same  things  many  times  before  without 
giving  them  any  consideration,  but  now  for  the  first 
time,  I  felt  that  there  was  something  wrong  with  the 
people  of  the  world.  It  seemed  to  me  now  that  the 
entire  system  of  human  endeavor  had  been  started 
wrong  and  was  running  along  upside  down.  But 
what  was  the  cause  of  tins  curious  state  of  affairs? 
One  word  alone  explained  it  all — Selfishness. 


40  BORNAGAIN 

Then  there  came  to  me  a  sentence,  the  imprint 
of  which  has  never  been  effaced  from  my  memory, 
viz:  "Selfishness  is  the  root  of  all  evil;  eradicate  self 
ishness  from  all  human  beings  and  the  earth  will  be 
heaven." 

Reader,  go  over  those  few  words  again,  and  again; 
ten  times;  fifty  times;  one  hundred  times  if  neces 
sary  to  thoroughly  impress  their  full  meaning  upon 
your  intellect.  Study  them;  practice  them;  teach 
them;  sing  them  to  all  the  world.  Take  them  for 
your  everlasting  motto  and  you  will  have  no  need 
for  all  the  stupid  theories  ever  created  by  man. 
"Eradicate  selfishness  from  all  human  beings  and 
the  earth  will  be  heaven." 

And  now  I  observed  that  great  numbers  of  these 
little  men  were  being  unloaded  from  the  various 
ships  in  the  harbor,  and  upon  landing  started  im 
mediately  in  a  northerly  direction.  I  understood  the 
reason.  Gold  had  been  discovered  in  the  Transvaal, 
and  thousands  upon  thousands  were  coming  from 
every  quarter  of  the  globe  in  anticipation  of  getting 
some  of  this  metal.  And  what  is  there  about  gold 
that  caused  people  to  go  such  vast  distances  and  bear 
many  hardships  and  even  risk  their  lives  in  desper 
ate  efforts  to  obtain  it?  Is  there  more  real  value  to 
gold  than  other  metals?  Not  at  all.  There  is  no 
more  intrinsic  value  to  gold  than  brass,  but  cen 
turies  ago,  a  semi-savage  glutton  discovered  that  he 
could  not  eat  all  the  swine  he  could  raise  nor  legally 
steal  all  his  contemporaries  could  breed,  so  he  orig 
inated  a  plan  whereby  he  could  secure  for  himself 
what  others  had  produced  through  the  agency  of  a 
financial  system  in  which  gold  could  be  used  as  a 


BORN     AGAIN  41 

medium  of  exchange.  He  found  that  he  could  get 
other  and  less  crafty  savages  to  go  and  dig  the  gold 
for  him  in  return  for  swine.  He  also  found  that  the 
breeders  would  exchange  swine  for  gold.  So  he 
started  by  giving  the  diggers  one  swine  for  ten 
ounces  of  gold  and  the  breeders  one  ounce  of  gold 
for  ten  swine.  This  transaction  he  called  business. 

This  system  of  business  has  been  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation  until  it  has  become 
a  part  of  man's  very  nature.  He  knows  very  little  of 
anything  else.  Gold  being  the  financial  medium  of 
business  he  is  taught  to  crave  it  in  his  infancy  and 
as  he  grows  older  gold  becomes  his  idol — his  God. 

In  order  to  gain  possession  of  gold  or  its  equiva 
lent  man  forgets  his  soul  and  sells  his  honor.  He  is 
willing  to  crush  the  weak,  cheat,  steal  or  even  mur 
der  his  fellow  beings  to  obtain  it.  And  no  matter 
whether  he  has  little  or  much  of  it  he  considers  any 
person  insane  who  dare  suggest  the  abolition  of  the 
financial  system  which  permits  individual  accumu 
lation  and  breeds  selfishness  and  crime. 

With  a  change  of  mind,  I  landed  thousands  of 
miles  further  north  into  the  interior  of  uncivilized 
Africa,  the  home  of  wild  beasts.  Here  something 
occurred  which  caused  me  to  think  that  after  all, 
perhaps  Arietta  was  right  in  classing  my  species  with 
the  lower  animals.  Under  ordinary  conditions  I 
should  not  have  given  the  incident  a  second  thought, 
but  now  my  mind  being  directly  connected  with 
hers,  I  was,  no  doubt,  impressed  in  the  same  manner 
as  she  while  viewing  these  things. 

A  party  of  English  gentlemen  were  on  a  hunting 
expedition.  They  appeared  to  be  intelligent  beings 


42  B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N 

of  aristocratic  birth.  Men  whom  the  average  indi 
vidual  would  take  as  examples  to  emulate.  But  here 
they  were  in  Africa,  thousands  of  miles  from  home, 
with  the  sole  purpose  of  killing  something  for  plea 
sure.  A  short  distance  away  was  a  family  of  lions; 
a  male,  female  and  several  cubs.  The  lion  and 
lioness  lay  close  together,  apparently  casting  loving 
glances  at  one  another  and  enjoying  the  antics  of 
the  little  ones  who  were  playing  together  nearby. 
Occasionally  the  little  ones  would  run  over  and  kiss 
their  elders  in  a  most  affectionate  way,  which  seemed 
to  greatly  please  the  parents.  Never  have  I  seen  a  fam 
ily  of  human  beings  display  so  much  real  affection 
toward  each  others  as  this  family  of  lions.  But  alas, 
their  happiness  was  at  an  end.  Man's  appetite  for 
killing  must  be  appeased.  One  of  the  hunters  had 
caught  sight  of  the  happy  little  family,  and  slinking 
behind  a  tree  before  his  presence  became  known  to 
the  lions  he  signaled  to  his  comrades,  who  sneaked 
torward  from  tree  to  tree  until  they  were  within 
easy  range  of  their  prey.  Then  fixing  their  rifles  and 
taking  deliberate  aim  at  the  unsuspecting  victims, 
and  without  giving  them  any  chance  to  defend  them 
selves  or  little  ones,  these  so-called  brave  and  civil 
ized  hunters  pulled  the  triggers  and  the  happy  old 
lion  and  the  lioness  simultaneously  expired,  pierced 
by  a  dozen  bullets.  And  what  became  of  the  little 
ones?  The  sight  was  too  pitiable  to  describe.  After 
the  effects  of  the  first  fright,  caused  by  the  noise  of 
the  shots,  had  passed,  they  instinctively  rushed  to 
their  parents  for  protection.  Oh,  the  anguish  de 
picted  upon  the  faces  of  these  little  things  when 
they  discovered  that  their  loving  progenitors  were 
no  more.  Their  looks  and  moans  were  heartrending. 


iJORN    AGAIN  43 

But  there  were  others  made  happy.  A  sudden  shout 
of  joyousness  burst  forth  from  the  throats  of  a  dozen 
civilized  men  who  eagerly  rushed  from  behind  their 
fortresses  to  view  the  work  of  destruction.  They  had 
displayed  fine  marksmanship  and  were  greatly 
pleased.  Good  shooting,  said  one  of  the  brave  fel 
lows.  Splendid,  exclaimed  another.  But  what  shall 
we  do  with  the  cubs?  asked  the  third.  Better  finish 
them  also,  remarked  a  fourth,  as  I  am  very  fond  of 
cub  meat,  and  would  like  nothing  better  than  a 
broiled  steak  from  one  of  their  little  carcasses.  After 
a  few  minutes'  parley  a  decision  was  reached  that  it 
would  be  uncivilized  to  allow  the  little  ones  to  wan 
der  about  the  jungle  alone  for  fear  that  they  might 
become  the  prey  for  other  wild  animals,  so  they 
killed  them  also;  and  filled  their  stomachs  with 
them. 

Then  after  they  were  through,  a  flock  of  vultures 
descended  and  finished  the  work.  Men  and  vultures 
are  somewhat  alike  in  this  respect;  they  both  eat  the 
flesh  of  carcasses.  But  a  good  word  can  be  said  for 
the  vultures,  however;  they  never  kill. 


CHAPTER  9 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  give  a  full  descriptive 
account  of  my  peculiar  journey  around  the  world 
with  Arietta,  nor  to  recount  the  many  strange  things 
witnessed.  Suffice  it  to  mention  that  we  visited  nearly 
every  country  on  the  globe  through  the  power  of 
mind  sight,  and  I  was  enabled  to  see  any  terrestrial 
occurrence  as  well  as  if  having  been  on  the  spot  in 
person.  In  fact,  being  under  the  direct  influence  of 
Arietta's  perception,  conditions  appeared  much 
more  comprehensive  to  me  than  ever  before  and  I 
felt  like  some  great  judge  looking  down  upon  the 
earth  and  its  inhabitants  with  an  impartial  eye. 

But  somehow  these  inhabitants  did  not  seem  to 
impress  me  as  being  in  such  a  high  state  of  intelli 
gence  as  I  had  formerly  been  led  to  believe  they 
were.  Everywhere  human  beings  were  fighting  and 
snarling  amongst  themselves  like  ferocious  beasts. 
Their  man-made  law  granted  the  right  of  the  strong 
to  victimize  the  weak  either  through  the  power  ol 
physical  or  mental  force.  In  fact  it  was  considered  a 
divine  right  for  men  of  superior  intellects  to  receive 
more  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth  than  those  of  smaller 
mental  capacity.  One-half  of  the  world  was  over-fed 
while  the  other  half  was  under-fed. 

Aside  from  a  slight  difference  in  political  and 
financial  theories,  the  characteristics  of  all  the  peo- 


BORNAGAIN  45 

pies  of  the  world  were  the  same;  the  predominant 
features  being  greed,  vanity,  egotism,  intemperance, 
gluttony,  fraud,  theft,  bribery,  deceit,  brutality, 
murder,  superstition  and  filth.  Even  America,  the 
much  boasted  land  of  the  free,  the  country  which 
God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  had  taken  from  the  bad 
English  and  given  to  the  good  Americans,  contained 
people  with  these  traits,  and  the  so-called  great  men 
of  this  country  appeared  like  a  lot  of  silly  little 
pigmies  engaged  in  an  eternal  quarrel  over  a  few 
trinkets.  Few  of  them  could  see  further  than  their 
own  noses  unless  it  was  to  see  something  that  would 
increase  their  own  selfish  desires. 

Equality,  of  which  these  people  boasted  so  much, 
existed  merely  in  their  imaginations.  The  actual 
meaning  of  equality,  as  the  Americans  understood 
it,  was  that  the  physical  and  mental  gladiators  and 
weaklings  alike  were  put  into  one  great  prize  ring 
and  given  an  opportunity  to  fight  for  their  lives  and 
nature's  gifts,  Those  who  were  capable  of  battering 
down  and  trampling  upon  their  adversaries  were 
legally  entitled  to  all  the  luxuries  the  earth  provided 
and  more  than  they  could  use,  but  those  who  were 
unfortunate  enough  to  have  been  born  weaklings 
and  were  unfit  to  cope  successfully  with  the  huge 
monsters  in  the  ring,  were  crushed  in  the  struggle. 

Fraud  was  the  slogan  of  the  government  officials 
and  nearly  all  of  them  practiced  it,  from  the  highest 
to  the  lowest  functionary. 

Money  was  the  power  behind  the  curtain  and  he 
who  had  the  largest  bank  account  was  catered  to 
like  an  over-grown  hog  surrounded  by  a  lot  of  suck- 


46  BORN     AGAIN 

ling  pigs.  "God  helps  those  who  help  themselves" 
was  their  accepted  motto.  In  other  words,  God  helps 
the  strong  and  not  the  weak. 

If  the  Creator  gives  any  of  His  attention  to  the 
innumerable  bickerings  of  these  earthly  microbes 
He  must  feel  greatly  flattered  by  having  this  splen 
did  motto  thrust  upon  Him,  for  according  to  it,  one 
was  supposed  to  go  to  the  assistance  of  the  man  who 
could  swim,  while  he  who  could  not,  must  be  left 
to  drown. 

A  certain  so-called  great  American,  one  Mr. 
Moundbuilder  by  name,  expressed  great  faith  in 
this  doctrine.  By  employing  thousands  of  his  fellow 
men  to  do  the  hard  work  while  he  sat  in  an  easy 
chair  and  confiscated  the  difference  between  what 
they  earned  and  what  he  paid  them,  he  accumulated 
several  hundred  million  dollars  for  his  own  use. 
About  the  time  he  was  ready  to  die  he  learned  to 
his  great  sorrow  that  it  was  necessary  to  leave  all 
this  slush  behind. 

So  this  great  philanthropist  decided  to  bequeath 
it  to  only  those  who  were  sufficiently  strong  and 
willing  to  continue  his  policy  of  crushing  the  weak 
and  incidentally  erect  some  monuments  to  his  own 
memory. 

After  much  consideration  as  to  how  the  strong 
would  derive  the  most  benefit  from  his  ill-gotten 
goods,  he  concluded  that  the  weak-minded  and  sickly 
creatures  who  were  bred  from  the  system  he  abetted 
and  the  over-worked  and  under-fed  laborer  would 
have  no  opportunity  to  read  books,  so  he  established 
hundreds  of  Moundbuilder  libraries  and  Mound- 
builder  universities  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 


47 

To  those  who  were  already  strong  enough  to  reach 
a  position  where  they  could  enter  a  university  and 
did  not  really  need  his  aid,  the  idea  was  a  grand  one, 
as  it  would  help  to  increase  their  strength,  thereby 
making  it  much  easier  for  them  to  confiscate  what 
the  weaklings  could  produce  in  the  future.  Thus 
the  plan  to  make  the  strong  stronger,  the  weak  weak 
er,  and  Moundbuilder  immortal,  would  be  perpet 
uated. 

But  the  cherished  hopes  of  Mr.  Moundbuilder  in 
this  respect  will  never  be  realized,  for  the  day  is  not 
far  distant  when  earthly  mortals  will  be  able  to 
reason  and  then  he  will  be  recognized  simply  as  a 
vain-glorious  old  humbug. 

Another  celebrated  American  who  was  classed 
nmong  the  great  men  of  the  day  was  a  certain  Mr. 
Porkpacker.  This  individual  conducted  an  estab 
lishment  where  thousands  of  animals,  bred  for  the 
purpose,  were  slaughtered  daily.  He  had  accumu 
lated  millions  of  blood-stained  dollars  in  this  way, 
and  was  generally  conceded  to  be  a  man  of  great 
business  ability.  He  was  pointed  out  to  the  rising 
generation  as  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  the 
country  whose  example  should  be  followed.  Just 
pause  a  moment  and  think  of  it.  Here  was  a  man 
who  directed  a  business  where  thousands  of  living 
things  were  murdered  daily,  set  forth  as  a  good  ex 
ample  to  follow  just  because  he  had  secured  millions 
of  dollars  bv  the  operation.  Oh,  ye  mortals!  Man 
considers  the  wolf  a  blood-thirsty  beast  because  he 
kills  and  eats  the  flesh  of  human  beings  for  subsist 
ence.  What  kind  of  a  bestial  monster  would  the  wolf 
consider  man  if  it  saw  him  in  his  slaughter-house 
killing  thousands  of  innocent  beef,  sheep  and  hogs 


48  BORNAGAIN 

daily?  Or  what  would  it  think  of  civilized  man  if  it 
saw  him  shooting  myriads  of  tame  and  harmless 
pigeons  for  amusement,  or  broiling  lobsters  alive 
to  satisfy  his  gormandizing  desires?  Perhaps  the  wolf 
would  set  man  below  its  grade,  if  interrogated  upon 
the  subject.  But  tyrannical  man,  intoxicated  by  his 
own  egotism,  assumes  that  all  these  things  were 
created  for  his  special  benefit.  If  the  wolf  could  be 
questioned  about  the  matter,  it  too  might  claim  that 
its  civilization  permitted  the  killing  and  eating  of 
man. 

Mr.  Porkpacker  was  considered  both  great  and 
good  by  his  fellow  beings,  for  each  year  he  gave 
thousands  of  dollars  for  the  erection  and  mainten 
ance  of  the  church  and  likewise  contributed  largely 
toward  his  pastor's  salary.  Would  it  be  good  policy 
then  for  the  pastor  to  believe  that  it  was  wrong  to 
kill  sheep,  when  one  of  the  large  contributors  was 
earning  money  in  that  business?  No,  no.  So  the 
church  upheld  the  slaughter-houses  and  proved  by 
the  scriptures  that  they  were  simply  doing  what  the 
savages  had  done  thousands  of  years  previously  ac 
cording  to  divine  right. 

Once  I  listened  to  my  father  preach  a  sermon  on 
the  beautiful  innocence  and  purity  of  the  lamb.  For 
an  hour  he  spoke  feelingly  of  the  many  virtues  con 
tained  by  this  gentle  little  creature  and  after  he  was 
through  he  immediately  went  home  and  filled  his 
stomach  with  roasted  lamb  for  dinner. 

Civilized  creatures  want  to  know  when  the  time 
will  arrive  that  the  lion  and  lamb  will  lie  down 
together  in  peace  and  harmony.  Possibly  the  lamb 


JBORNAGAIN  49 

would  like  to  know  if  the  time  will  ever  come  when 
its  carcass  will  not  be  utilized  to  appease  the  vora 
cious  appetites  of  civilized  creatures. 

In  looking  over  the  so-called  great  business  men 
and  financial  swindlers  of  America  they  certainly 
presented  a  motley  collection  of  physical  and  mental 
monstrosities.  They  spent  so  much  of  their  time  in 
the  mad  rush  for  dollars  and  how  to  spend  them, 
that  physical  and  mental  improvement  received  very 
little  attention.  Their  brains  became  stagnant  for 
the  want  of  proper  training  and  their  bodies  were 
allowed  to  rot  and  become  useless  for  the  need  of 
exercise.  Some  were  so  fat  they  could  not  walk, 
while  others  were  too  lean  to  stand.  A  great  many 
of  them  used  either  canes  or  crutches  as  an  aid  to 
hobble  along  or  vehicles  to  convey  them  from  place 
to  place.  Nearly  all  were  cripples,  more  or  less; 
rheumatism,  gout,  paralysis  and  numerous  other 
ailments  being  the  cause  of  their  helplessness. 

Few  of  them  seemed  able  to  understand  that  all 
these  infirmities  were  directly  caused  by  the  want  of 
proper  exercise  and  from  the  gluttonous  habit  of 
overloading  their  stomachs  with  foods  of  many  kinds 
and  meat  especially.  Apparently  it  was  beyond  their 
comprehension  that  nature  commanded  them  to  im 
prove  their  physiques  for  the  benefit  of  coming 
generations. 

Men  who  professed  to  be  athletes  when  they  were 
past  the  age  of  thirty  were  considered  childish,  while 
the  exponents  of  physical  culture  were  generally 
looked  upon  as  cranks. 

Eating,  drinking  and  smoking  were  adapted  as  the 
best  modes  of  recreation,  while  fishing  and  shooting 


50  BORNAGAIN 

pigeons,  quail,  squirrels  and  other  harmless  living 
things  were  regarded  as  good,  healthy  amusements. 

Of  all  the  brutal  methods  of  diversion  ever  adopt 
ed  by  man,  fishing  is  perhaps  the  most  cruel.  If  the 
reader  does  not  think  so,  just  stop  for  a  moment  and 
imagine  yourself  being  hooked  to  a  great  line  by  the 
mouth  and  your  body  being  drawn  far  up  into  space 
and  into  another  atmosphere,  there  to  strangle 
slowly  to  death.  You  would  not  like  it,  would  you? 
Then  why  should  the  fish  be  treated  so?  Do  you 
not  suppose  that  the  fish  have  feelings  like  yourself? 

Oh,  if  all  my  fellowmen  could  only  have  taken 
that  trip  around  the  world  with  Arietta  and  seen 
things  as  I  saw  them,  cruelty  in  all  its  various  forms 
would  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  That  trip  and  my  sub 
sequent  experience  with  her  proved  to  be  the  best 
education  I  could  have  received  from  any  source. 
It  taught  me  the  real  meaning  of  the  word  kindness, 
without  which,  not  only  toward  human  beings,  but 
toward  all  living  things,  man  will  never  rise  above 
the  savage  state. 


CHAPTER  10 

We  were  just  twenty-four  hours  making  our 
journey  around  the  world,  when  suddenly  I  found 
myself  once  more  gazing  into  the  beautiful  eyes  of 
Arietta.  While  she  bestowed  a  kindly  look  of  sym 
pathy  toward  me,  her  features  plainly  showed  that 
her  gentle  nature  had  received  an  awful  shock  from 
the  terrible  and  degrading  sights  we  had  witnessed. 
And  there  was  much  reason  why  this  pure  and  lov 
able  woman  should  be  shocked  at  what  we  had  seen, 
for  even  I,  a  worthless  and  hardened  vagabond,  had 
become  thoroughly  disgusted  with  my  own  species. 

"And  what  do  you  think  of  your  highly  civilized 
people  now?"  she  inquired  sadly. 

"They  are  a  race  of  tail-less  monkeys  and  filthy 
beasts  with  myself  included,"  responded  I,  with 
vehemence,  and  then  I  began  a  tirade  of  abuse 
against  the  entire  human  family. 

"Stop,"  exclaimed  Arietta,  "you  must  not  allow 
malice  to  enter  your  mind  against  any  living  crea 
ture,  no  matter  how  beastly  or  brutal  it  may  be. 
Hatred  will  not  make  the  world  better;  it  needs 
love.  No  living  being  is  responsible  for  what  it  is 
any  more  than  you  or  I  are  accountable  for  being 
in  existence. 


52  BORNAGAIN 

"But  while  each  individual  inherits  the  good  or 
bad  instincts  of  its  predecessor,  still  it  has  the  power 
to  make  better  or  worse  its  own  condition.  Love 
will  not  only  make  better  your  own  condition,  but 
that  of  your  fellow  beings  as  well.  Do  not  expect  to 
find  in  others  that  which  you  do  not  possess  yourself. 
It  is  your  duty  to  set  a  good  example,  not  wait  for 
others  to  accomplish  what  you  have  not  done  your 
self.  So  begin  right  now  with  love.  Cast  away  all 
unkind  thoughts  and  never  allow  another  to  enter 
your  mind,  no  matter  what  the  provocation  might 
be.  I  admit  that  the  Apeman  of  today  is  no  better, 
in  fact,  in  many  respects  is  much  inferior  to  the 
Apeman  who  lived  over  four  thousand  years  ago, 
but  that  is  because  he  took  the  wrong  road  in  trying 
to  reach  real  manhood.  He  is  still  on  the  wrong 
path,  but  must  be  turned  about  and  started  in  the 
right  direction.  He  must  be  taught  that  Heaven  is 
here  on  earth,  if  he  will  only  make  it  so.  But  the 
earth  will  never  be  a  paradise,  so  long  as  he  allows 
a  grain  of  selfishness  to  remain  in  his  system.  In 
yonder  picture  you  can  see  what  real  men  were  like. 
Study  their  countenances  carefully  and  see  if  you 
can  read  that  any  one  of  them  ever  committed  a 
selfish  act  or  even  permitted  an  unkind  thought  to 
enter  his  mind,  for  if  he  had,  you  could  plainly  read 
it  from  his  features,  the  face  being  the  mirror  of  our 
thoughts  and  actions,  and  no  matter  what  we  do  or 
what  we  think  from  the  time  we  are  born  until  we 
die,  every  act  and  thought  is  indelibly  stamped  upon 
our  faces  and  can  never  be  erased  until  the  material 
of  which  we  are  composed  has  disintegrated  and  re- 
entered  the  great  chemical  basin  from  which  all 
living  things  receive  their  substance. 


BORN     AGAIN  53 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  with  each  turn  of  the  chem 
ical  wheel  the  succeeding  generation  will  be  re 
moulded  on  a  better  scale,  until  the  Apeman  and  all 
lower  animals  have  passed  through  a  successful 
course  of  evolution  and  finally  emerge  into  real 
manhood — the  highest  type  of  earthly  beings. 

This  goal  is  but  a  few  steps  and  within  the  power 
of  the  Apeman  to  reach,  but  he  must  take  his  steps 
in  the  right  direction. 

A  whole  nation  of  those  magnificent  beings  you 
see  in  the  picture,  once  existed  in  real  life.  Their 
ancestors  were  Apemen  who  were  started  in  the 
right  path,  and  after  persistently  sticking  to  the 
upward  march  of  unselfish  progress  for  many  gen 
erations,  ultimately  reached  the  class  of  men  you 
see  before  you;  giants,  physically,  mentally  and 
morally." 

Here  she  paused  and  looked  long  and  affection 
ately  at  those  wonderful  figures  in  the  painting. 

Then  a  feeling  of  intense  jealousy  suddenly  crept 
into  my  brain,  and  I  thought  I  would  surely  go  mad 
under  its  terrible  pressure.  Arietta  was  in  love  with 
one  of  those  real  men,  while  she  held  merely  a  com 
passionate  feeling  for  me. 

I,  the  Apeman,  standing  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height  and  weighing  over  two  hundred  pounds 
avoirdupois,  heretofore  regarded  as  a  marvel  in 
physical  development,  now,  in  the  presence  of  these 
eight-foot  giants,  felt  like  a  shrunken  pigmy.  For 
merly  it  was  generally  conceded  that  I  was  a  rather 
handsome  fellow.  This  woman  thought  I  was  hid 
eous.  Previously,  I  had  felt  proud  of  my  nicely 
curled  heavy  black  mustache,  now  I  thought  it  made 


54  BORNAGAIN 

me  look  like  a  monkey.  The  splendid  features  of 
the  real  men  were  not  disfigured  by  a  hair  or  blem 
ish  of  any  kind,  while  their  skin  was  as  soft  and 
smooth  as  that  of  a  new  born  child.  During  my  trip 
around  the  world,  I  had  observed  that  the  more 
man's  body  was  covered  by  hair,  the  more  ape-like 
he  appeared,  especially  when  decorating  his  face 
with  it,  and  I  was  certain  that  my  appearance  was 
just  as  ludicrous  in  the  eyes  of  Arietta  as  those  I  had 
seen.  Therefore  my  admiration  for  the  stately  ob 
jects  portrayed  in  the  picture  was  beginning  to  turn 
into  hatred.  I  inwardly  wished  they  were  alive  that 
I  might  have  an  opportunity  to  combat  with  one  or 
all  of  them  in  order  to  show  Arietta  that  I  possessed 
the  courage  to  fight  until  death  for  her  love. 

While  lost  in  the  midst  of  such  reflections  Arietta 
turned  her  gaze  upon  me  fixedly  and  said:  "What 
barbaric  thoughts  have  you  permitted  to  enter  your 
mind  now?" 

"I  was  wishing,"  replied  I  rather  sullenly,  "that 
the  man  you  love  in  that  picture  was  alive,  that  I 
might  have  the  chance  to  demonstrate  my  worth  in 
a  fight  to  secure  your  favor;  perhaps,  then,  you 
would  discover  that  I  had  some  good  qualities." 

"And  do  you  suppose  if  I  saw  you  fighting  like  a 
savage  bulldog  that  I  would  admire  those  brutish 
tendencies  in  your  nature?"  inquired  she.  "Do  you 
think  that  the  animal  instincts  of  fighting  and  killing 
are  good  qualities  to  possess?  Has  your  trip  around 
the  world  borne  no  good  results?  You  have  observed 
that  your  own  species,  like  other  savage  beasts, 
quarrel,  fight,  maim  and  kill  each  other  through 
selfish  motives,  and  you  have  condemned  them  for 


BORN     AGAIN  55 

it;  now  you  would  continue  to  do  the  very  same 
thing  yourself  and  think  that  I  would  consider  it 
courageous.  According  to  one  of  our  primitive  laws, 
the  courageous  man  was  he  who  feared  no  one  and 
caused  no  one  to  fear  him. 

These  men  of  the  picture  were  the  bravest  of  the 
brave;  and  still  if  one  of  them  were  alive  today  he 
would  not  fight  with  you,  no  matter  how  much  you 
might  ill  use  him,  for  he  would  know  that  it  required 
more  real  strength  to  take  abuse  than  to  give  it.  He 
would  suffer  more  pain  if  he  hurt  you  than  if  you 
injured  him.  And  still  he  could  have  crushed  you 
with  greater  ease  than  a  cat  can  a  mouse,  if  he  were 
cowardly  enough  to  do  it.  That  is  the  real  courage 
of  unselfishness — the  kind  your  species  cannot  un 
derstand. 

Your  fellow  beings  applaud  cowardice  which  they 
mistake  for  strength  of  character.  They  seem  unable 
to  comprehend  that  it  requires  far  more  courage  to 
suffer  pain  than  to  inflict  it  upon  others.  They  have 
inherited  their  erroneous  ideas  from  the  wild  beasts 
who  preceded  them,  and  at  the  present  time  few  of 
them  know  any  better. 

But  they  must  be  taught  differently  and  the  teach 
ers  must  set  the  examples,  not  merely  offer  advice. 

The  different  countries  of  the  world  today  sup 
port  large  armies  of  soldiers  who  are  sent  to  the 
battle-fields  to  slaughter  each  other  for  selfish  pur 
poses.  The  strongest  side  is  naturally  victorious, 
and  after  killing  as  many  of  their  adversaries  as  pos 
sible,  return  home  to  receive  the  applause  and  ad 
miration  of  their  countrymen.  They  are  considered 
heroic  because  they  were  successful  in  slaying  their 


56  BORNAGAIN 

weaker  opponents.  Your  society  worships  these  hu 
man  butchers  and  the  more  lives  one  of  them  has 
destroyed  the  bigger  the  monument  is  erected  in  his 
honor. 

How  many  of  these  butchers  would  have  the 
courage  to  take  an  insult  from  a  weaker  party  with 
out  resenting  it? 

It  requires  great  bravery  for  the  strong  to  refrain 
from  taking  advantage  of  the  weak;  it  demands  real 
heroism  for  the  strong  to  equally  share  the  results 
of  their  labors  with  the  feeble.  For  the  strong  are 
doubly  blessed  in  having  strength  while  the  weak 
are  unfortunate  and  need  sympathy." 

"Would  it  not  be  courageous  for  one  person  to 
die  for  the  love  of  another?"  inquired  I. 

"That  would  depend  altogether  upon  the  circum 
stances,"  replied  Arietta.  "It  would  require  far 
more  courage  to  sacrifice  your  life  for  one  you  did 
not  love  as  there  would  then  be  no  selfish  motive 
behind  it.  As  I  understand  your  feelings,  you  love 
me  and  imagine  that  you  would  not  care  to  live 
without  me." 

"Yes,"  said  I  fervently,  "I  shall  take  my  own  life 
sooner  than  leave  you." 

"That  is  not  courage  at  all,  it  is  simply  cow 
ardice,"  answered  she.  "Through  your  own  selfish 
ness  in  trying  to  obtain  something  beyond  your 
reach,  you  lack  the  strength  to  live  without  it.  It 
takes  far  more  courage  to  live  when  you  want  to  die 
than  to  die  when  you  want  to  live.  Unselfishness  is 
the  very  highest  type  of  courageousness  and  one 
must  live  for  the  good  he  may  do  the  world  instead 
of  his  own  personal  aggrandizement. 


BORNAGAIN  57 

Thousands  of  our  noble  men  sacrificed  their  lives 
yearly  for  the  good  of  the  world.  Our  laws  permitted 
a  certain  number  of  them  to  leave  their  heavenly 
country  periodically  to  go  among  the  Apemen,  and 
try  and  teach  these  barbarians  the  meaning  of  un 
selfish  love  They  never  returned.  They  fully  real 
ized  before  starting  on  these  missionary  trips,  that 
they  were  depriving  themselves  of  all  the  luxuries 
the  earth  provided  for  a  life  of  hardship  and  suffer 
ing;  a  life  of  insults  and  all  the  cruel  tortures  the 
ferocious  Apemen  could  inflict  upon  them.  But  it 
pleased  them  to  know  that  they  possessed  the  cour 
age  to  withstand  all  the  insults  heaped  upon  them, 
while  trying  to  alleviate  the  conditions  of  others. 

Unlike  your  present  missionaries  they  did  not  go 
into  different  countries  backed  up  by  loaded  guns 
ready  to  annihilate  all  who  did  not  believe  their 
doctrines.  If  you  hit  a  man  on  the  head  with  a  club 
and  then  tell  him  that  you  love  him  he  will  not  be 
lieve  you.  They  understood  that  to  teach  the  Ape- 
men  to  love  one  another  they  must  set  themselves 
up  as  examples,  not  with  mere  words,  but  by  un 
selfish  and  courageous  acts.  They  also  knew  that 
they  had  no  divine  right  to  enter  another  country 
and  force  upon  the  inhabitants  their  laws  and  cus 
toms.  They  merely  went  to  teach  their  methods  and 
in  trying  to  do  good  for  others  were  willing  to  accept 
insults  in  return  for  their  kindness  in  order  to  prove 
their  sincerity  of  purpose. 

"At  first,  these  good  men  were  looked  upon  as 
gods  by  the  Apemen  who  wished  to  worship  them 
as  such,  and  had  they  been  vain-glorious  like  the 
Apeman  himself,  they  would  have  allowed  this  false 


58  BORNAGAIN 

idea  to  exist.  But  no,  there  was  not  a  grain  of  vanity 
or  selfishness  in  their  systems.  They  had  not  left 
their  homes  and  friends  to  be  worshiped,  but  had 
gone  away  to  show  the  Apeman  how  he  might  reach 
real  manhood,  if  he  would  but  follow  their  instruc 
tions.  They  taught  the  eradication  of  selfishness 
from  all  living  beings  and  the  abolition  of  the  system 
of  individual  accumulation,  practiced  then  and  now 
by  all  of  your  species.  Of  course  when  the  financial 
rulers  of  the  different  tribes  and  nations  learned  that 
these  men  were  teaching  that  all  living  beings  should 
have  an  equal  chance  in  life,  and  that  the  weak 
should  enjoy  the  same  comforts  as  the  strong,  and 
that. their  tribute  laws  were  unjust,  they  became 
wroth  and  ordered  our  men  to  be  put  to  death  by 
the  most  cruel  methods.  Some  were  burned  at  the 
stake;  others  were  buried  alive;  several  were  put 
into  dungeons  and  their  bodies  allowed  to  rot;  many 
were  cast  into  fiery  furnaces,  while  a  number  of 
them  were  thrown  into  dens  containing  lions  and 
tigers. 

All  these  tortures  and  innumerable  others,  did 
these  brave  men  suffer  that  they  might  impress  upon 
the  Apeman  the  real  meaning  of  courage  and  un 
selfishness.  And  through  the  power  of  mind  sight 
we  used  to  see  these  heroic  volunteers  unflinchingly 
suffer  these  indignities  for  the  cause  of  righteous 
ness,  notwithstanding  we  had  the  power  to  anni 
hilate  the  entire  Apeman  species,  if  we  had  so  de 
sired. 

Our  chemists  could  have  turned  on  currents  of 
poisonous  air  and  asphyxiated  whole  nations  of  them 
at  once;  our  electricians  could  have  sent  an  electric 


BORNAGAIN  59 

shock  around  the  earth  that  would  have  left  a  path 
of  destruction  a  thousand  miles  in  width;  our  scien 
tists  could  have  concentrated  the  full  force  of  the 
sun's  rays  upon  any  particular  city  they  might  choose 
and  burn  it  up  instantly;  but  they  did  not.  We  had 
the  power  to  destroy,  but  the  courage  of  forbearance. 
"The  highest  honor  our  nation  could  bestow  upon 
a  man  was  to  allow  him  to  leave  his  heavenly  coun 
try  and  become  a  martyr  to  his  own  unselfishness  in 
trying  to  uplift  the  Apeman  species.  And  had  it  not 
been  for  the  unfortunate  catastrophe  which  I  shall 
explain  to  you  later,  our  plans  would  have  succeed 
ed  and  the  earth  today  would  have  been  heaven  with 
no  such  creature  in  existence  as  the  Apeman." 


CHAPTER  11 

"Did  your  people  believe  in  God?"  inquired  I  of 
Arietta. 

"Yes,  we  believed  in  Natural  Law  as  controlled 
and  operated  by  a  living  God;  a  super-grand  ruler 
who  guides  the  machinery  of  life  and  does  not  devi 
ate  from  eternal  and  immutable  laws;  an  all-wise, 
everlasting  and  unchangeable  being  far  beyond  the 
faintest  conception  the  brain  of  man  has  ever  been 
able  to  formulate.  His  power  unlimited;  His  laws 
supreme;  His  goodness  incalculable. 

"Natural  Law  explains  that  He  created  the  prin 
ciple  from  which  humanity  evolved,  but  that  it 
remains  for  all  living  things  to  make  better  or  worse 
their  own  conditions.  His  laws  may  be  studied  and 
practiced  by  all  human  beings,  but  to  claim  to  know 
the  reasons  of  the  Creator's  actions  would  be  to 
assume  His  wisdom  and  knowledge.  His  purposes, 
therefore,  are  unfathomable,  at  least  until  man  be 
comes  more  intelligent. 

"Natural  Law  sets  forth  that  notwithstanding  the 
earth  is  but  a  mere  speck  in  the  universe,  still,  it 
being  a  part  of  the  vast  machinery  governed  by  the 
Almighty,  there  is  a  reason  for  its  existence  and  a 
work  for  it  to  perform.  Like  other  bodies  in  space, 
it  contains  particles  of  living  matter  which  are  con- 


BORN     AGAIN  61 

stantly  passing  through  a  course  of  development 
with  methodical  changes  from  life  to  death  and  from 
death  to  life.  But  while  all  living  things  live  and 
die,  the  material  thereof  is  used  over  and  over  again 
indefinitely.  Human  beings  are  a  species  of  these 
particles. 

"All  living  things  are  composed  of  physical,  men 
tal  and  spiritual  manifestations.  The  machinery  is 
physical.  The  mind  is  that  part  of  the  machinery 
having  power  to  control  its  movements.  The  soul  is 
the  spark  of  life  and  acts  as  a  moral  guide  to  the 
mind.  Soul  and  conscience  are  synonymous. 

"The  soul,  always  pure,  is  continually  striving  to 
improve  the  condition  of  the  mind.  The  mind  alone 
is  responsible  for  the  disposition  of  the  body  and 
the  evils  arising  therefrom,  the  soul  merely  acting 
as  its  instructor  for  good. 

"If  the  mind  would  consult  and  always  follow7  the 
advice  of  the  soul  it  would  do  no  wrong.  It  is  the 
mind  which  inherits  evil  instincts  and  but  for  the 
good  influence  of  the  soul,  living  creatures  would 
not  exist  in  harmony. 

"As  the  mind  hardens  against  righteousness  the 
sway  of  the  soul  is  lessened,  but  as  the  mind  softens 
towards  goodness  the  soul  increases  its  power.  There 
is  a  continual  struggle  between  the  soul  for  good 
and  the  mind  for  evil,  but  the  soul  will  eventually 
gain  the  ascendancy  and  all  living  things  will  be 
cleansed  of  impurities. 

"The  body,  including  the  mind,  of  each  living 
thing  dies,  the  material  disintegrates  and  passes  into 
the  composition  of  other  forms.  The  soul  never 
dies;  it  remains  in  one  body  until  its  collapse  and 


62  BORNAGAIN 

then  transmigrates  into  another.  The  soul  of  man 
today  may  be  that  of  a  lower  animal  tomorrow; 
therefore  he  should  use  the  greatest  kindness  and 
consideration  toward  all  living  things. 

"There  is  only  a  certain  quantity  of  matter  upon 
earth  to  be  moulded  together  in  living  forms  and  a 
certain  number  of  souls  to  abide  therein,  so  that 
with  the  increase  of  mankind  there  must  naturally 
be  a  decrease  in  the  ranks  of  other  animals,  hence  it 
remains  the  duty  of  man  to  extend  in  number  and 
quality  his  own  species  until  all  the  material  in 
existence  is  utilized  by  human  beings  of  the  very 
highest  intelligence.  Humanity,  however,  will  never 
rise  above  the  savage  state  until  the  barbarous  cus 
tom  of  killing  and  eating  other  animals  is  abolished. 

"Selfishness  is  the  root  of  all  evil;  eradicate  selfish 
ness  from  humanity  and  the  earth  will  be  heaven. 

"Man's  heaven  is  here  on  earth  if  he  is  only  cap 
able  of  making  it  so,  but  men  cannot  enjoy  heavenly 
blessings  with  hellish  minds,  and  no  selfish  being 
can  properly  enjoy  the  sweets  of  life. 

"The  real  essence  and  pleasure  of  life  can  only 
be  extracted  when  mankind  labors  harmoniously 
together  as  a  unit,  instead  of  each  individual 
struggling  separately  and  murderously  to  obtain  the 
largest  portion  of  the  earth's  blessings. 

"The  production  of  the  world's  wealth  must  be 
utilized  so  as  to  create  justice  for  everybody  that 
will  harm  nobody.  Happiness  must  arise  from  serv 
ing  others  instead  of  oneself. 

"No  good  mortal  can  thoroughly  enjoy  comforts 
that  are  beyond  the  reach  of  his  fellow  men,  there 
fore  all  human  beings  should  work  together  as  one; 


BORNAGAIN  63 

enjoying  together  the  fruits  of  their  combined  ef 
forts;  the  weak  and  the  strong  alike.  There  must  be 
but  one  master — the  entire  human  race  bound  to 
gether  as  one. 

"When  mankind,  acting  as  a  unit,  masters  itself, 
then  will  it  rule  the  earth  and  gain  knowledge  of 
extraneous  matters;  thus  the  wisdom  of  inhabitants 
of  older  and  more  advanced  worlds  will  be  attained 
and  intercourse  with  them  practiced,  thereby  un 
raveling  many  apparent  mysteries  of  the  universe. 

"You  must  please  God  by  kind  acts  toward  all 
living  creatures.  Your  success  is  determined  by 
conforming  to  His  natural  laws. 

"A  united  world,  with  all  living  things  on  the 
same  plane  of  perfection  and  working  harmoniously 
together  for  the  common  good  is  the  heaven 
humanity  should  strive  to  reach. 

"It  is  within  the  power  of  mankind  to  perfect 
itself,  but  this  can  only  be  accomplished  through  the 
unselfish  efforts  of  the  whole  people.  Each  indi 
vidual  can  make  better  or  worse  his  own  condition 
and  thereby  stamp  a  good  or  bad  impression  upon 
the  lives  of  his  descendants. 

"He  who  passes  his  life  without  adding  to  the 
knowledge  and  goodness  of  the  world  has  lived  for 
naught,  and  he  who  fails  to  improve  his  own  worth 
morally,  mentally  or  physically  has  spent  a  life  of 
uselessness  for  which  his  descendants  must  suffer; 
for  to  misuse  oneself  is  to  commit  a  crime  against 
posterity. 

"Each  generation  should  be  an  improvement 
upon  the  preceding  one. 


64  BORN     AGAIN 

"Having  been  entrusted  with  a  piece  of  living 
machinery,  it  is  the  duty  of  everyone  to  give  it  the 
very  best  care  and  attention  possible,  that  its  value 
might  be  increased  to  nature,  hence  moral,  mental 
and  physical  perfection  are  the  highest  aims  of  life 
to  achieve. 

"Parents  should  have  no  off-spring  when  one  or 
both  of  them  are  insane,  diseased,  gluttons,  drunk 
ards  or  criminals. 

"Practice  moderation  in  all  things  that  you  may 
live  longer  and  acquire  strength  to  enjoy  natural 
blessings  and  bestow  character  upon  those  to  follow. 

"Pleasure  can  only  be  extracted  from  temperate- 
ness;  it  increases  or  decreases  in  proportion  to  quan 
tity,  and  he  who  takes  sparingly,  lives  longer  to  enjoy 
the  most. 

"Do  not  over-work,  over-study,  over-eat,  over 
drink,  over-sleep,  or  commit  any  excess  whatsoever. 
The  surest  way  to  make  the  world  better  is  to  begin 
with  yourself.  Such  is  the  essence  of  Natural  Law." 


CHAPTER  12 

"At  the  present  time,"  proceeded  Arietta,  "the 
earth  resembles  a  huge  table  over-loaded  with  good 
things  and  surrounded  by  a  pack  of  gluttons  each 
striving  to  secure  the  largest  portion.  And  in  this 
piggish  scramble  the  strong  obtain  more  and  the 
weak  less  than  is  needed  while  enough  is  wasted  to 
amply  supply  the  whole.  The  best  forces  of  the 
participants,  which  should  be  utilized  for  other  pur 
poses  are  also  lost  in  the  ravenous  struggle,  for  it 
requires  more  power  to  retain  than  obtain  these 
things. 

"The  same  avaricious  principal — individual  ac 
cumulation — is  the  foundation  of  every  government 
in  the  world  today,  and  consequently  all  of  your 
social  systems  are  being  run  upside  down.  Your 
people  spen,d  their  time  and  strength  in  looking  for 
remedies  instead  of  stopping  the  source  trom  which 
all  evils  flow.  Corruption  is  the  result  of  a  diseased 
root  and  as  long  as  that  remains,  iniquities  will  con 
tinue  to  multiply.  Extirpate  the  cause,  however, 
and  sin  will  depart  like  magic. 

"The  system  which  allows  the  individual  to  ac 
quire  personal  wealth  is  the  direct  cause  for  nearly 
every  evil  in  existence.  There  is  no  remedy  for  a 


66  BORNAGAIN 

wrong  unless  you  eradicate  it  entirely,  and  just  as 
long  as  a  nation  clings  to  the  pernicious  plan  which 
permits  separate  persons  to  store  up  the  products  of 
the  earth  for  private  uses,  just  so  long  will  selfish 
ness  be  the  characteristic  feature  of  the  people,  and 
all  kinds  of  criminals  will  be  bred  from  the  material 
which  otherwise  would  prove  very  useful  to  a  unified 
world.  According  to  present  methods  success  is  based 
upon  what  each  individual  accumulates  and  not 
what  mankind  is  capable  of  producing. 

"The  foundation  of  existence  is  effort,  without 
which  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  would  perish. 
United  exertion  produces  better  results  and  with 
less  toil  than  competitive  efforts.  With  united  labor 
in  force,  every  living  being  must  work,  for  he  who 
consumes  and  does  not  produce  is  a  thief.  If  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  world  combined  their  labors  on 
the  most  economic  basis,  there  would  be  enough 
comforts  for  all  created  by  one-tenth  of  the  power 
expended  at  the  present  time.  Each  person  would 
add  his  mite  to  the  whole,  and  in  return  would  re 
ceive  as  much  as  anyone  else.  All  worthless  occupa 
tions  would  be  done  away  with,  and  the  power 
thereof  directed  into  useful  channels.  Labor  would 
rule  the  world  instead  of  money.  For  of  what  good 
would  be  all  the  money  on  earth  if  there  was  no 
labor  to  produce  the  necessities  of  life?  At  present 
there  exists  but  one  honest  toiler  whose  labors  en 
rich  the  world,  to  ten  schemers  who  spend  their  time 
plotting  to  secure  the  results  of  his  work;  and  these 
parasites  actually  confiscate  the  largest  portion  of 
that  which  is  produced.  The  schemers  feast  and 
govern,  while  the  laborers  fast  and  are  governed. 


BORNAGAIN  67 

Can  you  imagine  more  unnatural  conditions  than 
one  class  of  beings  producing  all  the  comforts  and 
receiving  none  in  return? 

"With  the  abolition  of  the  noxious  system  of 
individual  accumulation,  money  would  have  no 
value  and  all  the  evils  arising  therefrom  would  cease. 
Take  away  the  opportunity  of  the  individual  to 
accumulate  wealth  for  himself,  and  you  remove  the 
temptation  for  fraud,  theft  and  numerous  other 
crimes,  for  there  is  then  no  incentive  left  for  them. 
Expel  the  motive  and  selfishness  will  disappear,  and 
each  mortal  give  his  best  efforts  toward  perfecting 
himself  morally,  mentally  and  physically  for  the 
good  he  may  render  the  world. 

"Teach  the  child  that  it  will  not  have  to  worry 
over  the  future;  that  it  will  not  have  to  lie,  cheat, 
steal,  murder  or  take  any  advantage  of  its  fellow 
beings  in  order  to  receive  its  share  of  the  good  things 
of  life;  explain  to  it  that  the  real  incentive  is  to  give 
its  best  services  toward  increasing  the  general  pro 
duction  of  the  earth,  that  all  mankind  may  enjoy 
the  sweets  thereof  together  in  peace  and  harmony; 
impress  upon  its  young  mind,  that  he  who  works  in 
excess  of  others  for  the  good  of  mankind,  lives  the 
noblest  life  and  receives  the  highest  esteem  of  his 
fellow  beings  and  the  blessed  approbation  of  his  own 
soul,  and  that  child,  reaching  maturity,  will  be  a 
thousand  times  more  useful  to  himself  and  human 
ity  than  he  who  has  been  taught  to  hoard  up  riches 
for  his  own  special  purposes. 

"Individual  accumulation  is  responsible  for 
crime;  crime  necessitates  laws;  man-made  laws  breed 
tyranny. 


68  BORNAGAIN 

"Abolish  individualism,  and  crime,  tyranny  and 
nine-tenths  of  your  superfluous  laws  will  be  exter 
minated. 

"A  few  well-defined  and  just  laws  properly  en 
forced  are  sufficient  to  successfully  operate  the  gov 
ernmental  machinery  of  the  human  race  according 
to  Natural  Law." 


CHAPTER  13 

"Telepathy,"  continued  Arietta,  "proved  to  be 
one  of  the  greatest  factors  for  good  utilized  by  our 
people.  Through  its  agency  we  not  only  found  that 
it  was  the  most  natural  and  complete  way  to  converse 
with  one  another,  but  also  learned  to  think  collec 
tively  as  well  as  singly. 

"The  brain  is  both  a  receiver  and  transmitter  of 
thought,  and  all  minds  are  directly  connected  with 
each  other  by  an  invisible  force.  Thought  is  an 
element  of  life  and  exists  everywhere;  it  is  not  orig 
inated  by  the  mind,  but  is  a  utility  for  it.  Thoughts 
are  sustenance  for  the  brain,  as  air  is  for  the  lungs, 
or  food  for  the  appetite;  they  are  good  and  bad  in 
quality,  and  it  is  within  man's  power  to  accept  or 
reject  them  at  will.  By  admitting  good  and  repelling 
bad  thoughts,  the  brain  acquires  moral  as  well  as 
mental  strength  but  vice  versa  it  is  poisoned,  and 
degeneracy  is  sure  to  follow. 

"Nature  created  both  the  mountains  and  the 
thoughts;  look  and  you  can  see  those  lofty  hills; 
think  and  you  can  receive  inspiring  thoughts.  Shut 
your  eyes  and  you  cannot  see;  close  your  brain  and 
you  cannot  think.  The  broader  the  mind,  the  great 
er  the  ideas  to  enter. 

"Ignorance  is  bred  from  a  closed  brain;   intelli- 


70  BORNAGAIN 

gence  from  an  open  one.  He  who  is  incapable  of 
thinking  is  like  the  blind  who  cannot  see  or  the  deaf 
who  cannot  hear.  The  thought  is  the  mightiest 
force  for  good  or  evil,  humanity  has  to  contend  with; 
time  is  measured  by  it  and  pure  meditation  makes 
the  days  short  and  sweet,  while  evil  notions  lengthen 
and  depreciate  them.  The  mind  that  retains  good 
ideas  and  refuses  bad  ones  is  of  incalculable  value  to 
mankind  for  it  has  an  instantaneous  effect  upon 
other  minds  in  all  parts  of  the  earth. 

"It  is  easier  for  many  minds  working  in  harmony 
together  to  grasp  a  thought,  than  for  the  single  brain 
to  receive  it  without  aid.  No  one  earthly  being  ever 
conceived  a  great  idea  unassisted.  One  might  have 
believed  and  proclaimed  the  origin  of  an  idea,  but 
unknown  and  innumerable  others  secretly  aided  in 
its  conception.  The  strongest  intellect,  however, 
retained  and  gave  it  to  the  world,  and  he  who  ac 
cepts,  practices  and  impresses  the  thought  upon 
others,  deserves  the  credit  thereof. 

"It  took  several  generations  of  continuous  exper 
imentation  by  the  Sagemen  to  acquire  the  funda 
mental  principles  of  telepathy  and  many  more  to 
establish  the  custom  of  conversing  with  the  mind 
instead  of  the  voice.  In  the  beginning,  the  evil  ones 
looked  upon  the  practice  with  horror,  for  it  wTas 
impossible  to  conceal  anything  from  their  fellow 
beings.  But  this  very  fact  alone  caused  them  to  keep 
clean  and  allow  no  impure  thoughts  to  enter  their 
minds  that  would  lower  them  in  the  estimation  of 
their  associates,  and  after  a  few  generations  of  active 
use  it  was  accepted  as  one  of  the  great  benefits  of 
nature. 


BORN     AGAIN  71 

"Whenever  a  great  problem  confronted  the  nation, 
a  hundred  or  more  of  our  deepest  thinkers  would 
simultaneously  concentrate  their  mental  forces  upon 
it,  and  if  unsuccessful  in  reaching  a  satisfactory  con 
clusion,  then  the  whole  people  would  devote  an 
hour  each  day  upon  it  until  finally  solved.  Thus  in 
thought  as  well  as  in  action  we  labored  together  as 
a  unit,  harmoniously  working  out  vast  ideas  that 
never  could  have  been  conceived  by  a  single  brain, 
and  each  mortal  receiving  an  equal  share  of  the 
many  blessings  derived  therefrom. 

"And  there  again  is  where  your  individual  system 
retards  natural  progress.  A  little  Apeman  receives 
part  of  one  of  nature's  ideas.  His  immature  brain 
is  incapable  of  receiving  the  whole  of  it  so  he  spends 
his  entire  life  stumbling  along  in  the  dark,  vainly 
searching  for  the  remainder.  Sometimes  he  becomes 
insane  or  dies  under  the  strain  of  the  burden,  and 
mankind  loses  the  portion  he  had  already  under 
stood.  It  was  his  greedy  desire  that  caused  him  to 
struggle  alone  for  something  that  many  minds  could 
easily  have  brought  forth  had  they  been  called  to  his 
assistance.  But  no,  his  purpose  was  not  to  aid  hu 
manity,  but  get  money  and  the  power  to  wield  over 
his  fellow  creatures  by  accepting  and  having  pat 
ented  for  himself  one  of  nature's  gifts. 

"And  then  again  one  of  your  little  Apemen  finally 
does  conceive  a  good  idea,  or  part  of  one,  after  thirty 
years,  more  or  less,  of  constant  strain  upon  his  men 
tal  faculties.  So  the  progress  of  the  world  must  be 
held  in  check  for  that  length  of  time  for  an  inven 
tion  that  could  have  been  produced  and  put  into 
useful  operation  by  the  combined  efforts  of  many 


72  BORNAGAIN 

minds  in  a  few  days,  weeks  or  months.  But  it  is  the 
individual  system  and  not  the  individual  himself 
which  causes  this  stupendous  waste  of  time  and 
power,  and  as  long  as  it  is  kept  in  force  the  leakage 
of  human  progress  will  naturally  be  beyond  cal 
culation. 

"It  seems  a  pity,"  said  Arietta,  looking  at  me 
sympathetically,  "that  your  brain  is  not  sufficiently 
developed  to  enable  you  to  grasp  the  magnificent 
principle  of  life  as  it  was  understood  by  the  Sage- 
men,  but  it  would  be  as  hard  for  you  to  comprehend 
an  attempted  explanation  of  the  whole  subject  as 
it  would  be  for  a  monkey  to  understand  algebra. 
So  I  have  to  be  content  with  impressing  upon  your 
little  intellect  just  as  much  as  it  will  absorb. 

"But  come,  you  look  tired,  let  us  partake  of  some 
refreshments.  And  remember,  do  not  overload  your 
stomach." 


CHAPTER  14 

''Do  not  overload  your  stomach."  This  admoni 
tion  caused  me  to  feel  like  a  child  once  more,  and  I 
was  uncertain  whether  I  ought  to  laugh  or  become 
indignant  over  the  remark.  Still  I  fully  realized  the 
necessity  of  this  warning;  not  only  for  myself  alone, 
but  for  the  entire  human  race  from  which  I  sprung. 

How  many  beings  are  there  in  the  world  today 
who  would  not  profit  by  following  this  advice?  How 
many  are  there  with  sense  enough  to  heed  it?  I 
cannot  recall  to  memory  any  person  I  have  ever 
met  who  had  absolute  control  of  his  appetite. 

"We  take  pleasure  in  living,  but  do  not  live  for 
pleasure,"  continued  Arietta,  as  she  touched  an  in 
visible  spring  concealed  within  a  dainty  flower  and 
graciously  invited  me  to  eat — or  rather  to  breathe. 
And  as  I  inhaled  the  delicious  fumes  it  seemed  that 
the  very  breath  of  life  itself  was  injected  into  every 
pore  of  my  body. 

"That  is  enough  of  the  soup,"  commented  Ar 
ietta  mirthfully,  "now  try  the  roast;  now  the  entree; 
and  here,  perhaps,  a  little  dessert  will  not  hurt  you; 
there,  that  is  plenty;  a  little  is  strengthening  but  too 
much  is  poisonous. 

"You  see,  this  process  of  living  is  very  simple 
indeed;  our  chemists  merely  extracted  the  vital 


74  BORNAGAIN 

parts  of  vegetables,  herbs,  cereals,  fruits,  nuts, 
flowers,  etc.,  and  reduced  them  to  aeriform.  These 
artificial  flowers  are  arranged  to  conceal  small  tubes 
from  which  the  nutriment  flows.  By  operating  these 
automatic  springs  the  substance  is  allowed  to  escape 
in  such  quantities  as  is  required  for  meals.  Very 
simple,  is  it  not?  Much  cleaner  and  better  than 
munching  a  piece  of  fat  pork,  don't  you  think?  And 
there  are  no  cooks  needed  to  prepare  it,  no  waiters 
to  serve  it,  nor  any  dishes  to  wash  afterward.  Our 
food  was  arranged  ready  for  consumption  at  the 
great  national  laboratories  and  piped  directly  to 
the  people,  to  use  as  they  pleased." 

"It  is  all  very  wonderful,"  exclaimed  I,  looking 
up  to  Arietta  as  if  she  were  the  goddess  of  life  itself, 
"but  there  is  one  thing  in  particular  I  am  anxious 
to  know  and  that  is:  what  causes  daylight  here  when 
darkness  prevails  on  the  outside  of  this  building?" 

"Very  simple,"  explained  she,  "about  a  thousand 
years  before  the  great  catastrophe  our  scientists  dis 
covered  a  method  whereby  they  could  store  up  the 
rays  of  the  sun  for  light,  heat  and  power,  and  after 
much  experimenting  they  found  that  they  coul<;l 
mix  these  rays  with  other  ingredients  into  solid  sub 
stances. 

"The  light  you  observed  in  the  hallway  before 
entering  here  is  merely  compressed  into  the  material 
of  which  the  walls  are  composed  and  as  long  as  that 
remains  light  will  shine  from  it. 

"The  light  in  this  room  comes  from  the  miniature 
sun  you  see  in  the  picture;  that  too  will  give  forth 
radiance  as  long  as  the  material  holds  together. 


75 

"Our  scientists  were  remarkable  men;  they  not 
only  made  use  of  the  sun's  rays  in  many  different 
ways  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  but  actually  con 
trolled  the  power  of  the  sun  itself  insofar  as  it  related 
to  the  earth.  They  also  restrained  the  atmosphere 
which  surrounds  the  earth  and  made  the  weather 
conditions  to  suit  their  own  welfare.  But  these 
things  are  so  infinitely  beyond  the  Apeman's  com 
prehension,  who  feels  that  he  has  almost  reached 
the  limit  of  human  resources  with  his  crude  little 
steam  engines,  that  it  would  only  be  a  waste  of  time 
and  power  to  try  and  explain  them  to  you,  besides 
being  a  considerable  strain  upon  your  half-grown 
brain." 

"This  is  certainly  a  wonderful  painting,"  said  I, 
looking  about  the  room  with  much  admiration.  "I 
have  never  seen  anything  to  compare  with  it  before." 

"There  is  nothing  about  it  that  is  extraordinary," 
remarked  Arietta,  "it  is  merely  a  l.'ttle  ornamenta 
tion  of  my  own  private  apartment  which  I  did  my 
self  according  to  my  own  fancy.  Any  of  our  ordi 
nary  house  decorators  could  have  done  as  well  or 
better.  All  of  our  children  were  taught  to  paint  and 
they  devoted  considerable  of  their  spare  time  to  the 
art,  but  the  works  of  the  real  artists  were  placed 
upon  exhibition  in  the  national  galleries  where- 
everybody  could  see  and  enjoy  their  magnificence." 

"I  observe  an  absence  of  jewelry  about  your  per 
son,"  mentioned  I,  "was  it  not  the  custom  of  your 
people  to  wear  jewels?" 

"Do  you  think  that  to  wear  rings  around  your 
toes  and  suspended  from  your  nose  is  a  sensible 
thing  to  do?"  inquired  Arietta. 


76  BORNAGAIN 

"No,  no;  decidedly  not,"  answered  I,  "such  are 
the  customs  of  the  barbarians  only,  but  our  civilized 
people  wear  rings  around  their  fingers  and  in  their 
ears." 

"Indeed,  and  wherein  lies  the  difference?"  asked 
she,  good  naturedly. 

It  then  struck  me  rather  forcibly  that  there  was 
no  difference  and  that  it  was  just  as  ridiculous  to 
wear  rings  from  the  ears  and  around  the  fingers  as 
it  was  to  have  them  suspended  from  the  nose  and 
about  the  toes. 

"But  were  there  no  diamonds  in  your  country?" 
questioned  I. 

"Yes,"  replied  Arietta,  "there  was  a  large  pile  of 
them  in  the  national  museum  which  we  looked 
upon  as  old  junk — sort  of  relics  of  the  savage  Ape- 
men.  When  our  children  were  shown  these  things 
and  informed  that  a  king  of  an  Apeman  nation 
would  gladly  sacrifice  the  lives  of  a  hundred  thou 
sand  of  his  subjects  in  an  attempt  to  gain  possession 
of  them,  or  that  his  subjects  would  murder  their 
friends,  brothers,  wives  or  children  in  an  effort  to 
secure  some  for  themselves,  it  was  impossible  for 
their  youthful  minds  to  fully  understand  why  the 
Apeman  should  become  so  ferocious  and  idiotic  over 
such  trifles.  They  naturally  looked  upon  your  spe 
cies  as  you  would  view  a  tribe  of  monkeys  fighting 
amongst  themselves  for  the  possession  of  a  string  of 
glass  beads.  The  Apeman  like  the  monkey  is  in 
capable  of  seeing  his  own  absurdities." 

"And  what  about  gold?"  I  inquired. 

"We  had  a  building  constructed  of  it,"  answered 
she.  "One  of  the  first  things  the  Sagemen  did  after 


BORNAGAIN  77 

they  abolished  the  system  of  individual  accumula 
tion  was  to  take  all  the  gold  there  was  in  the  country, 
and  mould  it  into  a  huge  edifice  to  be  used  as  a 
national  museum,  and  represent  a  sort  of  monument 
10  a  dead  system." 

"It  must  have  been  a  magnificent  structure,"  said 
I,  in  amazement. 

''On  the  contrary,"  replied  Arietta,  "it  was  the 
most  hideous  building  in  our  land.  As  a  curiosity  it 
was  worth  seeing,  but  as  an  object  of  grandeur  it 
was  a  total  failure.  There  is  more  real  beauty  in 
one  of  nature's  tiniest  flowers  than  there  would  be 
in  a  mountain  built  of  gold  and  studded  with  dia 
monds,  but  the  little  Apeman  who  considers  gold 
the  standard  of  value  cannot  understand  this." 

"When  you  mentioned  the  absurdity  of  wearing 
jewelry,"  said  I,  "it  brought  to  my  attention  the 
fact  that  you  wear  no  shoes  upon  your  feet,  and  that 
your  toes  are  much  longer  and  far  more  shapely  and 
supple  than  is  the  case  nowadays." 

"Yes,"  answered  she,  "that  is  because  we  made 
use  of  our  toes  as  well  as  our  fingers  for  useful  pur 
poses.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  Apeman  has  pei- 
mitted  his  feet  to  grow  into  mere  hoofs  with  which 
to  stump  along  upon,  and  from  what  I  observed 
during  my  excursion  around  the  world,  your  people 
are  even  allowing  their  hoofs  to  become  worthless," 
and  here  she  smiled  as  she  recalled  to  mind  some  of 
the  gouty,  rheumatic  and  over-fed  mortals  she  had 
seen  during  that  trip. 

As  Arietta  smiled,  her  beautiful  lips  parted  and 
lor  the  first  time  I  noticed,  much  to  my  surprise, 
that  she  had  no  teeth.  A  woman  of  our  own  kind 


78  BORNAGAIN 

without  teeth  generally  presents  a  rather  dilap 
idated  appearance,  but  here  was  a  woman  that  I 
thought  actually  looked  more  lovely  without  them. 

"Well,"  remarked  Arietta,  noting  my  astonish 
ment,  "I  do  not  have  teeth  to  bite  and  chew  with 
like  the  lower  animals.  The  Sageman  shed  his  teeth 
shortly  after  he  discontinued  the  filthy  animal  habit 
of  devouring  flesh  and  other  solid  substances  for 
subsistence,  and  substituted  the  more  scientific, 
cleanly  and  healthful  method  of  inhalation." 


CHAPTER  15 

"Now  we  shall  enjoy  a  little  music,"  said  Arietta, 
as  she  turned  her  attention  to  the  pictorial  orchestra. 

"Music,"  repeated  I,  "then  it  was  real  music  I 
heard  a  short  time  ago  and  not  a  mere  fancy  of  my 
own." 

"I  was  not  aware  that  you  heard  it  at  all,"  replied 
she.  "Yes,"  responded  I,  "when  first  coming  into 
this  room,  the  men  in  the  picture  appeared  to  me  to 
be  alive,  and  washing  to  attract  their  attention  I 
touched  the  shoulder  of  the  leader,  and  then  it  was 
that  I  thought  I  heard  the  sweetest  and  grandest 
music  it  has  ever  been  my  good  fortune  to  listen  to." 

"In  that  case,"  said  Arietta,  "your  ears  did  not 
deceive  you,  for  you  certainly  heard  real  music.  You 
see  in  this  picture,  an  exact  portrayal  of  that  which 
existed  over  four  thousand  years  ago.  This  delinea 
tion  is  an  almost  perfect  representation  of  one  of  our 
national  bands  as  they  once  appeared  in  life  ready 
to  play.  The  music,  of  course,  is  reproduced  mech 
anically,  the  mechanism  being  concealed  from  view 
behind  the  scenery.  When  you  placed  your  hand 
upon  the  shoulder  of  the  leader  you  unconsciously 
pressed  the  spring  which  set  the  machinery  in  mo 
tion,  causing  a  reproduction  of  the  same  strains  once 
rendered  by  these  men." 


80  BORNAGAIN 

"But  this  being  a  painting,  I  cannot  understand 
how  the  figures  moved  as  if  playing  upon  their  in 
struments,"  said  I. 

"They  did  not  move  at  all,"  answered  Arietta, 
"it  was  your  soul  that  brought  to  your  senses  the 
movements  that  once  took  place  among  these  men 
in  real  life.  Music  is  inspired  by  the  soul,  and  like 
wise  has  a  direct  influence  upon  it.  No  Sageman  was 
considered  an  eminent  composer  if  his  work  lacked 
the  force  to  convey  the  soul  of  the  listener  to  the 
actual  scene  from  whence  the  inspiration  was  de 
rived.  No  doubt  your  inferior  brain  was  incapable 
of  grasping  the  magnificent  conception  of  the  author, 
but  the  selection  being  so  enrapturous  your  soul 
awakened  and  brought  your  senses  to  the  point 
where  you  could  see  the  movements  of  the  musi 
cians.  Perhaps  the  next  rendition  may  have  a 
stronger  effect  upon  your  soul  which  will  cause  you 
to  get  an  outline  of  what  was  intended  by  the  com 
poser.  The  composition  which  the  orchestra  will 
now  reproduce  for  your  benefit  was  considered  by 
our  people  to  be  the  musical  masterpiece  of  all  time. 
It  was  named  'The  Soul's  Retrospection,'  and  was 
composed  by  the  leader  of  this  band  only  a  few 
years  prior  to  the  great  catastrophe." 

"Look,"  said  Arietta,  with  much  feeling  as  she 
waved  her  hand  toward  the  exalted  director,  "take 
a  good  look  at  this  model  of  a  perfect  man  and  you 
may  be  able  to  realize  just  what  qualities  he  had  to 
possess  before  acquiring  the  tremendous  intellectual 
strength  necessary  to  produce  the  wonderful  work 
that  will  shortly  be  impressed  upon  you.  Note  the 
extraordinary  look  of  kindness,  gentleness  and  self- 


BORN     AGAIN  81 

denial  that  is  stamped  upon  his  handsome  features. 
See  the  expression  of  thankfulness  and  intense  rev 
erence  he  maintained  for  the  many  splendid  gifts 
nature  bestows  upon  all  mankind  capable  of  accept 
ing  them.  Observe  the  optimistic  appearance  of  one 
that  believed  the  earth  was  real  heaven  and  who 
strived  to  make  it  so.  Notice  the  cast  of  superior 
intellectuality  caused  by  devoting  his  time  and 
mentality  to  natural  thoughts,  instead  of  allowing 
absurd  civilized  theories  to  take  root  in  his  expan 
sive  brain.  Behold  the  magnificent  physique,  the 
result  of  the  constant  care  and  attention  he  gave  to 
the  machinery  nature  provided  him  with.  Ah,  me! 
such  a  noble  being,  and  to  think  that  there  is  not 
another  piece  of  flesh  and  blood  on  earth  at  the 
present  time  to  compare  with  him  seems  cruel." 

At  this  point  Arietta  appeared  almost  overcome 
with  sadness  and  emotion  as  she  buried  herself  in 
contemplation  of  a  glorious  past  and  an  unknown 
future.  Great  tears  rolled  from  her  beautiful  eyes, 
and  unconsciously  from  my  own  as  well. 

How  utterly  helpless  I  felt  at  that  moment.  I 
knew  of  no  way  to  cheer  her,  although  I  would  have 
gladly  given  up  my  life  to  do  so.  Aye,  more  than 
that,  my  love  for  her  was  so  strong  that  in  order  to 
make  her  happy,  I  should  have  welcomed  back  to 
life  again,  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  any  one  of 
those  handsome  fellows  in  the  picture.  However, 
by  a  superb  display  of  will  power,  she  quickly  re 
gained  control  of  herself,  and  becoming  cheerful 
once  more,  bade  me  recline  upon  one  of  the  lounges 
while  she  pressed  the  spring  which  set  the  musical 
apparatus  in  motion. 


82  BORNAGAIN 

And  as  I  followed  her  directions,  there  suddenly 
burst  forth  the  voluminous  and  harmonious  sound 
of  a  hundred  strange  instruments,  causing  an  inde 
scribable  thrill  of  ecstasy  to  take  possession  of  my 
senses,  until  it  seemed  that  there  was  nothing  left 
of  me  but  an  invisible  spirit.  And  then,  even  the 
music  apparently  stopped,  and  a  peculiar  feeling 
overcame  me  as  if  my  soul  had  actually  left  its 
charge  and  was  flying  about  in  an  effort  to  find  a 
convenient  resting  place.  Suddenly,  as  if  half  awake 
and  half  dreaming,  I  found  myself  within  a  luxuri 
ously  furnished  hall,  surrounded  by  a  score  of  richly- 
clad  beings,  who  were  bowing,  kneeling,  and  cutting 
up  all  sorts  of  silly  antics  about  me.  In  a  dreamy  sort 
of  a  way,  I  looked  down  at  myself  and  discovered 
that  I  was  arrayed  in  the  gorgeous  garments  of  a 
king,  and  weighted  down  with  dazzling  jewels  from 
head  to  foot.  Then  everything  became  clear  enough 
to  my  memory;  I  was  the  king,  and  these  idiotic 
creatures  fawning  and  cringing  about  me  were  my 
obedient  subjects;  my  slaves;  the  willing  tools  which 
kept  me  in  power.  A  gouty  feeling  in  my  feet,  a 
dyspeptic  ache  of  the  stomach  and  an  alcoholic  pain 
in  the  head,  caused  me  to  be  in  a  very  disagreeable 
mood,  and  I  felt  like  kicking  the  entire  gathering 
out  of  my  presence. 

"Sire,"  squeaked  a  knock-kneed,  sickly  looking 
civilized  creature  about  five  feet  high,  who  wore 
knee  breeches,  silk  stockings  and  fancy  ribbons,  as 
he  bowed  low  in  addressing  me,  "those  ungrateful 
subjects  of  your  majesty,  the  ignorant  common 
laboring  horde  whom  God  in  His  infinite  wisdom 
has  entrusted  to  your  noble  guidance,  have  become 
dissatisfied  and  turbulent  again,  and  are  disturbing 


BORNAGAIN  83 

the  peaceful  prosperity  of  the  domain  by  clamoring 
for  bread — more  bread  and  less  toil  is  their  beastly 
cry.  A  delegation  of  their  representatives  requested 
me  to  beg  your  majesty  to  grant  them  an  audience 
that  they  might  state  their  imaginary  grievances  to 
you  in  person." 

"More  bread  and  less  toil,"  shouted  I  furiously, 
"the  audacity  of  the  vermin!  By  the  gods!  I  shall 
teach  those  craven  beggars  that  I  am  the  master  and 
will  tolerate  no  new-fangled  ideas.  Give  orders  to 
the  generalissimo  to  have  this  delegation  beheaded 
at  once  and  to  put  to  the  sword  every  dissatisfied 
laborer  in  the  land." 

But  as  I  uttered  those  words,  intermingled  with 
terrible  oaths,  and  with  intense  hatred  for  the 
wretches  who  dared  to  complain  against  such  con 
ditions  a  sudden  change  affected  me  and  I  found 
myself  within  a  dark,  filthy  little  room,  seated  at  a 
bare  table,  with  a  feeling  of  hunger  gnawing  at  my 
stomach.  My  limbs  felt  tired  and  sore  from  a  hard 
day's  toil.  Beside  me  sat  a  thin,  haggard,  sorrowful 
woman  and  several  half-famished  children  piteously 
crying  for  something  to  eat.  Oh,  what  a  dismal, 
melancholy  feeling. 

"What  is  it,"  mused  I,  observing  my  bony  hands, 
crooked  limbs  and  ragged  clothes,  "that  causes  my 
inability  to  earn  enough  money  to  supply  bread  for 
myself  and  family,  after  working  fifteen  hours  a  day, 
while  thousands  of  men  in  this  land  do  not  work  at 
all  and  have  luxuries  to  waste?  What  unnatural  law 
governs  the  world  that  starves  myself  and  family 
who  work,  and  over-feeds  the  pet  dog  of  the  aris 
tocrat,  who  loafs? 


84  BORNAGAIN 

Then  another  change,  and  behold,  I  am  clad  in 
the  garments  of  a  hunter,  seated  upon  the  back  of 
a  spirited  horse  and  in  mad  pursuit  of  a  fleet-footed 
antelope.  I  raise  my  rifle  and  blaze  away  at  the 
frightened  beast.  There,  I  have  hit  the  mark  and 
brought  him  down  at  the  first  shot,  much  to  my 
delight.  But  lo,  it  is  not  dead  yet;  see  how  it  pants 
and  struggles  in  desperation,  as  it  tries  to  regain  its 
feet.  Now  I  am  right  upon  it,  and  quickly  dis 
mounting,  I  take  hold  of  its  horns,  draw  a  long  keen 
knife  from  its  sheath,  and  with  a  powerful  stroke  I 
almost  sever  the  victim's  head  from  the  body.  And 
as  the  warm  blood  pours  forth  in  every  direction 
and  the  last  sign  of  life  departs  from  its  shivering 
body,  I  view  the  work  of  destruction  with  the  fiend 
ish  glee  of  a  noble  sportsman. 

But  hold!  What  causes  me  to  tremble  with  fear 
as  though  some  blood-thirsty  monster  were  pursuing 
me  with  the  intention  of  crushing  out  my  life's 
blood?  Ah,  I  understand.  I  am  the  four-footed  beast 
and  am  running,  running,  running  as  fast  as  my 
weary  limbs  will  carry  me.  And  such  a  terrified 
feeling  overcomes  me  as  I  look  backward  and  dis 
cover  I  am  pursued  by  the  most  dangerous,  savage 
and  cruel  animal  in  existence — man.  How  relent 
lessly  he  dogs  my  footsteps.  On,  on,  on  he  comes 
until  he  is  right  behind  me  and  there  is  no  chance 
to  escape — nor  any  hope  for  quarter.  At  last  being 
brought  to  bay  I  turn  about  and  decide  to  give 
battle  to  my  pursuer.  But  look!  The  cowardly 
savage  will  not  fight  after  all.  No,  he  will  not  ad 
vance  and  fight  fair,  but  at  a  distance  and  out  of 
harm's  way,  he  stops,  and  pointing  a  weapon  at  me, 


BORN     AGAIN  85 

takes  deliberate  aim,  there  is  a  loud  report,  a  quick 
flash,  and  the  scene  once  more  changes. 

And  thus  I  transmigrated  from  one  thing  into 
another,  in  a  seemingly  endless  procession  of  lives, 
experiencing  all  the  peculiar  sensations  of  the  many 
bodies  I  temporarily  inhabited.  In  some  cases  I  was 
the  big  strong  brute — either  physically  or  mentally 
— taking  advantage  of  the  puny  weakling.  In  others, 
I  was  the  miserable  weakling,  being  crushed  by  the 
over-powering  strength  of  the  bully.  But  whether 
strong  or  weak,  either  physically  or  mentally,  I  was 
always  the  moral  coward  and  selfish  creature,  ready 
to  cater  to  those  who  were  stronger,  and  take  advan 
tage  of  those  who  were  feebler  than  myself,  until 
finally  I  emerged  into  a  most  extraordinary  being, 
utterly  deficient  in  all  human  weaknesses. 

Master  of  a  physique  absolutely  free  from  all 
imperfections,  and  controlling  a  mind  powerful 
enough  to  grasp  nature's  beautiful  ideas  unadulter 
ated,  I  found  myself  seated  upon  a  platform  in  the 
center  of  a  mammoth  theatre  and  surrounded  by  the 
finest  body  of  musicians  the  earth  has  ever  produced 
—the  immortal  Sixth  National  Band  of  Sageland. 
Then  I  fully  realized  that  as  leader  of  this  won 
derful  group  I  was  about  to  render  for  the  first  time, 
my  latest  musical  conception  and  masterpiece— 
"The  Soul's  Retrospection" — which  would  prove  to 
humanity  beyond  a  doubt,  the  positive  truth  of  one 
of  nature's  grandest  secrets — the  indestructibility  of 
the  soul. 

It  was  generally  believed  that  music  was  the  direct 
inspiration  of  the  soul.  It  was  also  thought  that  the 
soul  was  one  of  the  unchangeable  forces  of  nature 


86  BORNAGAIN 

whose  duty  it  was  to  operate  and  purify  different 
pieces  of  natural  machinery  known  as  animal  lives; 
starting  each  on  its  brief  career  and  remaining  a 
part  thereof  until  the  mechanism  exhausted  its 
power  and  collapsed,  after  which  it  attached  itself  to 
another  bit  of  animal  matter,  remaining  therewith 
until  its  death,  and  so  on  indefinitely. 

And  now,  after  a  life  of  unswerving  devotion  to 
this  purpose,  I  was  about  to  establish  the  truth  of 
these  theories  by  producing  a  musical  composition 
that  would  cause  the  listener's  soul  to  leave  the  body, 
and  going  backward,  revisit,  as  in  a  dream,  the 
various  animal  forms  it  had  previously  inhabited. 
How  extremely  happy  I  felt  to  think  what  a  great 
blessing  humanity  was  about  to  receive  direct  from 
nature,  through  the  instrumentality  of  myself  and 
the  incalculable  good  that  would  result  therefrom. 
Not  only  would  it  prove  of  vast  scientific  value  to 
my  own  countrymen,  but  also  to  the  millions  of 
ferocious  Apemen  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  who 
could  now  be  made  to  understand  that  no  soul  is 
immune  from  hardship,  misery  and  torture  until  all 
living  things  on  earth  have  reached  the  highest  stage 
of  perfection. 

The  news  that  the  first  production  of  "The  Soul's 
Retrospection"  was  about  to  be  given  had  attracted 
great  attention  among  the  Sagemen,  and  I  observed 
that  the  great  National  Auditorium,  which  was 
capable  of  seating  four  hundred  thousand  persons, 
was  crowded  to  its  very  doors,  a  proceeding  I  had 
never  witnessed  before,  notwithstanding  my  com 
panions  and  I  had  appeared  there  many  times  pre 
viously  to  give  musical  performances.  I  also  noticed 


BORNAGAIN  87 

that  the  transmitters  in  all  of  the  domes  of  the  audi 
torium  were  open  and  ready  for  use  and  I  knew 
that  my  countrymen  in  every  part  of  Sageland  were 
at  their  musical  receivers  ready  to  obtain  the  in 
stantaneous  results  of  our  efforts.  All  of  the  cele 
brated  wise  men  and  great  scientists,  while  openly 
skeptical  concerning  the  claims  of  my  composition, 
showed  their  interest  in  the  matter  by  being  present 
personally  and  appearing  anxious  for  success  to 
crown  my  efforts. 

As  my  eyes  wandered  over  the  great  assemblage 
completely  filling  tiers  upon  tiers  of  seats,  as  far  back 
in  every  direction  as  the  natural  eye  could  reach,  I 
felt  positive  that  there  was  at  least  one  person  pres 
ent  who  had  no  doubts  of  successful  results.  "Ah, 
where  is  she?"  mused  I,  looking  about  for  a  sign  of 
recognition. 

"Here  I  am,"  came  the  quick  telepathic  response, 
and  immediately  my  gaze  fell  upon  the  loveliest 
woman  on  earth — Arietta — nature's  companion  to 
my  soul. 

I  am  utterly  powerless  to  describe  the  feeling  of 
joy  experienced  as  our  eyes  met  in  mutual  admira 
tion.  Being  held  momentarily  spellbound  by  her 
loving  glance,  I  fully  recognized  the  fact  that  she 
was  the  acme  of  purity — the  guiding  star  of  my  life. 
And  with  such  a  guide  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
fail. 

All  in  readiness,  I  arose  to  my  feet  and  the  entire 
audience  did  likewise,  as  a  token  of  appreciation  for 
past  services  rendered.  Acknowledging  the  honor 
and  waiving  them  seated,  without  further  ado  I  sig 
naled  my  assistants  to  begin. 


88  BORNAGAIN 

Never  did  a  body  of  musicians  commence  a  diffi 
cult  task  with  more  determination  to  create,  through 
the  medium  of  their  instruments,  an  exact  interpre 
tation  of  the  author's  purpose.  In  no  degree  could 
they  have  succeeded  more  admirably  than  on  this 
occasion.  Never  was  an  entire  audience  so  com 
pletely  carried  beyond  the  borders  of  reality  than 
now.  From  the  first  until  the  last  note  not  a  twitch 
of  a  muscle  could  be  seen  in  all  that  mass  of  human 
ity,  which  now  resembled  a  great  concourse  of  mo 
tionless  statues.  The  musicians  themselves,  with 
their  minds  and  souls  bent  upon  giving  the  fullest 
expression  to  their  grand  work,  were  the  only  evi 
dence  that  any  life  at  all  remained  in  the  large  audi 
torium.  How  bravely  they  stuck  to  their  laborious 
undertaking;  how  beautifully  they  executed  their 
divine  work. 

At  last  the  piece  was  finished,  and  looking  about, 
I  observed  that  the  great  audience  jumped  to  its 
feet  instantly,  and  every  person  present  frantically 
extended  both  hands  above  the  head — a  sign  that 
we  had  been  successful.  Never  before  did  I  see 
my  countrymen  under  such  intense  excitement  and 
jubilation  as  now.  Men  hugged  each  other;  women 
cried  with  joy.  The  world  is  saved,  was  the  general 
exclamation. 

Amid  the  great  confusion  that  followed,  I  noticed 
Arietta  with  her  arms  outstretched  toward  me — a 
sign  that  she  was  betrothed  to  me  forever.  Her 
beautiful  face  was  the  picture  of  happiness  and  love. 
As  I  descended  from  the  platform  and  started  for 
ward  to  clasp  her  in  my  arms  the  entire  audience 
seemed  to  vanish  into  nothingness,  and  my  head 


89 

began  to  whirl.  I  turned  and  looked  backward, 
and  to  my  great  astonishment  and  confusion  beheld 
myself  still  seated  upon  the  platform.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  I  was  divided  into  tw7o  parts.  I  rubbed  my 
eyes  in  amazement  and  looked  again.  There  was 
the  leader  of  the  band  sitting  on  the  platform 
motionless  and  surrounded  by  his  faithful  help 
mates.  I  looked  in  the  other  direction.  There  was 
Arietta  reclining  upon  the  couch  with  her  lustrous 
eyes  fixed  upon  me.  I  glanced  clown  at  myself  and 
found  that  I  was  the  same  old  John  Convert  dressed 
in  sailor's  clothes. 

For  several  moments  I  stood  there  buried  in  the 
depth  of  serious  meditation.  Then  slowly  walking 
over  near  Arietta,  I  stooped  and  resting  upon  one 
foot  and  knee,  I  tenderly  took  her  hand  in  mine 
and  bowed  my  head  in  reverence.  I  understood  it 
all  now. 


CHAPTER  16 

"What  a  wonderful  world  this  is!  What  writer 
of  fiction  could  draw  upon  his  imagination  for  any 
thing  to  compare  with  this  extraordinary  freak  of 
nature?"  soliloquized  I,  arising  and  taking  a  seat 
opposite  Arietta  and  staring  at  her  in  amazement. 

"There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  freak  of  nature," 
corrected  Arietta,  "the  utmost  reason  prevails  for  all 
of  her  acts;  but  the  simplest  of  nature's  laws  appears 
complex  and  incomprehensible  to  the  Apeman,  who 
merely  uses  his  brain  as  an  organ  for  self-gratifica 
tion  instead  of  an  instrument  to  grasp  natural  laws 
for  which  purpose  it  is  intended.  And  therefore, 
while  your  famous  Apemen  stunt  the  growth  of  the 
brain  by  misusing  it  for  the  base  purpose  of  accumu 
lating  individual  wealth,  our  great  men  utilized 
their  brains  to  receive,  understand  and  operate  the 
wise  laws  established  by  nature  for  the  equal  benefit 
and  betterment  of  all  mankind.  And  therein  lies 
the  chief  difference  between  the  piece  of  human 
machinery  your  soul  now  occupies  and  that  which 
it  once  directed  over  four  thousand  years  ago.  "Be 
hold,"  said  she,  dramatically  pointing  at  the  director 
of  the  band,  "that  you  were,"  and  then  casting  her 
eyes  upon  me,  "that  you  are."  Does  your  mind  lack 
the  strength  to  fully  appreciate  the  magnificent 


BORN     AGAIN  91 

lesson  nature  has  forced  upon  you,  and  which,  no 
doubt,  stands  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  your 
species? 

"Oh,  if  each  little  Apeman  could  only  be  made 
to  understand,  that  the  present  body  is  but  one 
little  installment  of  the  innumerable  lives  his  soul 
has  to  preside  over,  and  that  the  rich  and  power 
ful  today  may  be  the  weak  and  lowly  tomorrow,  he 
would  begin  at  once  to  treat  all  living  things  with 
equal  kindness  and  sympathy.  If  he  could  only 
realize  that  the  dog  he  kicks,  the  horse  he  mistreats, 
or  the  poor  mental  or  physical  weakling  he  takes 
advantage  of  might  possibly  be  impelled  by  the 
same  soul  that  moved  the  form  of  his  deceased 
father,  mother,  or  offspring,  his  selfishness  and 
cruelty  would  vanish  forever.  If  he  could  only 
comprehend  that  the  soul  suffers  as  well  as  the  flesh 
it  stimulates,  and  that  it  must  naturally  continue  to 
do  so,  more  or  less,  until  every  particle  of  living 
matter  has  been  cleansed  and  remoulded  into  the 
highest  type  of  earthly  being,  he  would  strive  to 
reach  perfection  himself  and  urge  others  to  do  like 
wise.  For  all  terrestrial  life  must  go  up  or  down 
together;  a  moment  of  selfish  pleasure  now,  means 
an  age  of  suffering  and  torment  in  the  future.  Such 
are  the  immutable  laws  of  nature.  And  these  laws 
must  be  obeyed  before  mankind  can  climb  the 
ladder  of  greatness. 

"It  sometimes  appears  as  if  Natural  Law  works 
very  slowly  before  reaching  a  given  point,  but  there 
is  always  a  reason  for  every  one  of  its  movements. 
While  apparently  incomprehensible,  still  it  was  in 
accordance  with  an  eternal  law,  that  you  were  sent 


92  BORNAGAIN 

back  here  again  after  an  interim  of  over  tour  thou 
sand  years.  My  soul,  which  had  been  held  a  captive 
during  all  that  time,  might  have  remained  here  for 
millions  of  years  had  you  not  come  back  to  release 
it  from  its  peculiar  bondage.  But  you  did  return, 
and  nature  thereby  demonstrated  that  it  never  for 
gets  anything,  from  the  workings  of  the  great  living 
things  of  which  the  suns,  moons  and  planets  are  but 
mere  organs,  down  to  the  minutest  microbe  of  the 
microbe. 

So  you  can  readily  perceive  that  at  least  two  of  the 
bodies  which  your  soul  has  inhabited  were  chosen 
to  perform  great  services  for  the  human  race.  First, 
by  a  natural  course  of  instruction,  you  proved  to 
the  Sagemen  over  four  thousand  years  ago  that  the 
soul  was  indestructible.  And  now,  through  a  mys 
terious  operation  of  nature  you  are  brought  back 
here  in  an  inferior  organism  and  have  had  a  positive 
manifestation  of  the  identical  principle  thus  estab 
lished,  in  order  that  you  might  resurrect  and  make 
known  to  all  mankind  the  unalterable  truth- 
Natural  Law.  Do  you  not  feel  highly  honored  to 
be  called  upon  twice  for  such  grand  missions?" 

"But  I  cannot  understand,"  said  I,  "why  nature, 
after  having  allowed  the  Sagemen  to  reach  such  a 
state  of  physical,  mental  and  moral  superiority, 
should  destroy  them  just  when  they  had  reached 
the  threshold  of  success." 

"Nature  did  not  destroy  the  Sagemen,"  replied 
Arietta,  "they  extinguished  themselves  in  making 
an  effort  to  accomplish  something  beyond  their 
powers.  They  tried  to  operate  a  law  with  which 
they  had  not  become  sufficiently  familiar  to  insure 


BORN     AGAIN  93 

success.  If  one  of  your  little  Apemen  experiments 
with  steam  or  dynamite  and  is  blown  to  atoms,  that 
is  his  own  fault,  not  nature's. 

"For  a  thousand  years  the  Sagemen  had  made 
remarkable  progress  along  scientific  lines.  They 
had  mastered  themselves,  and  had  learned  to  think 
both  individually  and  collectively;  and  also  to 
properly  distribute  and  enjoy  the  products  of  their 
combined  efforts.  They  had  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  particles  of  which  the  earth  is 
composed,  and  had  secured  control  of  the  atmos 
phere  that  surrounds  it.  They  had  harnessed  the 
chemical  properties  of  the  sun  after  reaching  the 
earth,  and  had  gained  possession  of  many  other 
valuable  utilities  by  following  the  course  of  Natural 
Law,  but  when  they  undertook  to  regulate  the 
earth's  path  in  space  they  simply  over-stepped  the 
confines  of  their  abilities  and  failed.  That  was  one 
of  nature's  laws  they  were  not  thoroughly  acquainted 
with.  However,  as  it  requires  many  drawbacks  to 
achieve  extraordinary  success  in  all  things,  human 
ity  should  not  be  discouraged  over  this  failure,  but 
gradually  work  its  way  up  again  until  it  has  not 
only  reached,  but  surpassed  the  high  standard  of 
excellence  attained  by  the  Sagemen. 

"In  the  great  stretch  called  time,  the  length  of 
one  little  human  existence  is  but  a  mere  fraction  of 
a  moment.  Therefore,  one  should  devote  his  best 
efforts  during  that  brief  period,  to  making  better 
the  conditions  of  the  place  in  which  he  has  to  spend 
many  lives,  for,  according  to  what  he  has  done  in 
one  life,  so  must  he  contend  with  in  the  next.  If, 
while  possessing  physical  and  mental  strength  in 


94  BORNAGAIN 

one  body,  he  assists  in  upholding  a  corrupt  social 
system  which  takes  from  the  weak  and  gives  to  the 
strong,  he  must  expect  these  same  conditions  to 
exist  when  he  returns  as  a  weakling.  For  as  long 
as  hogs  are  bred  and  slaughtered,  so  must  he  take 
his  chances  of  being  one  of  them.  How  much  better 
to  help  mankind  seek  a  higher  plane  of  intelligence, 
in  which  equality  would  be  a  reality,  thus  firmly 
cementing  the  tie  of  sympathy  and  love  between  all 
living  things.  In  this  case  he  would  have  no  fear 
concerning  his  chances  upon  the  next  visit,  no 
matter  in  what  form  he  might  appear.  And  how 
much  better  to  carry  on  the  work  of  decreasing  the 
birth  of  the  lower  animals  and  increasing  the  num 
bers  and  quality  of  the  higher  species,  until  there 
was  nothing  left  on  earth  but  the  very  best  type  of 
human  beings  for  all  souls  to  inhabit. 

"Natural  Law  is  very  easily  understood  if  the 
mind  is  properly  directed  toward  it.  Great  thoughts 
are  easily  conveyed  from  one  to  another  after  the 
strong  intellects  have  conceived  them.  Nature  itseli 
is  simply  the  principle  of  the  utilization  of  creative 
life.  This  principle  plainly  shows  an  evolutionary 
tendency  of  all  living  particles  toward  a  final  state 
of  complete  intelligence.  This  intelligence  is  ab 
sorbed  by  the  mind.  The  mind  itself  is  expanded 
in  proportion  to  the  quantity  it  takes  in,  and  is 
capable  of  directing  it  for  either  good  or  evil  pur 
poses. 

"The  difference  between  good  and  evil  is  merely 
that  between  unselfishness  and  selfishness. 

"Owing  to  its  immature  growth,  the  mind  has  a 
tendency  to  use  the  intelligence  it  acquires  for  selfish 


BORNAGAIN  95 

ends.  And  here  is  where  the  soul  or  conscience  has 
its  work  to  perform,  in  trying  to  direct  it  into  good 
channels. 

"Intelligence  means  the  ability  to  think,  or  un 
derstand  the  thoughts  conceived  by  others.  The 
most  intelligent  mind  will  listen  to  the  soul,  and 
use  the  thought  as  an  unselfish  medium  with  which 
to  aid  others.  The  poorly  developed  brain  stifles 
the  pleadings  of  the  conscience  and  utilizes  it  as  a 
selfish  weapon  to  secure  the  power  to  take  from 
others. 

"The  battle  of  existence  is  constantly  carried  on 
between  selfishness,  which  is  bred  from  the  very 
lowest  form  of  intelligence,  and  unselfishness,  which 
represents  the  very  highest  state  of  mentality. 

"A  well-balanced  mind  wants  all  men  to  enjoy 
equal  rights  and  opportunities  in  common  with  one 
another,  affording  each  a  chance  to  rise  as  high  as 
his  capabilities  will  permit.  For  the  more  intelli 
gent  beings  there  are  in  existence,  the  better  for  all 
concerned.  If  you  want  to  eradicate  disease,  you 
must  stamp  out  the  conditions  that  breed  it.  Before 
you  can  reach  the  highest  form  of  intelligence,  you 
must  exterminate  the  causes  which  create  selfishness. 
And  he  who  labors  to  improve  others,  unconsciously 
produces  better  conditions  for  himself." 


CHAPTER  17 

"The  history  of  Sageland,"  continued  Arietta, 
"during  one  thousand  years  prior  to  the  great 
catastrophe  was  simply  a  record  of  heaven  on  earth, 
in  which  the  inhabitants  lived  for  and  loved  one 
another.  The  abolition  of  the  pernicious  system 
of  individual  accumulation  was  the  direct  cause  for 
the  existence  of  this  beautiful  state  of  affairs.  For 
when  the  people  discovered  that  they  could  no 
longer  hoard  up  wealth  for  personal  advantage,  but 
were  required  to  give  their  best  efforts  toward 
general  production  in  exchange  for  the  necessities 
of  life,  they  lost  all  evil  desires  and  endeavored  to 
secure  the  highest  esteem  of  their  fellow-beings  by 
perfecting  themselves  mentally,  morally  and  physi 
cally  for  the  good  of  the  community. 

"The  system  by  which  the  State  required  each 
individual  to  devote  a  portion  of  his  time  toward 
general  production,  and  which  gave  him  in  return 
for  his  services  a  home,  food,  clothes,  education, 
entertainment,  and,  in  fact,  everything  necessary 
to  his  welfare  and  comfort,  is  so  simple  and  easy  of 
comprehension  that  any  living  thing  above  the 
intellectual  line  of  the  Ape  should  be  able  to  under 
stand  it. 

"In  the  first  place,  the  State  was  simply  the  peo 
ple — all  of  the  people — working  harmoniously  to 
gether  as  a  unit.  Every  child  was  educated  from 


BORNAGAIN  97 

its  infancy  in  the  economic  principles  of  the  State, 
and  upon  arriving  at  maturity  was  given  a  voice  in 
its  government.  There  were  no  privileges  whatso 
ever  granted  to  any  particular  person  or  persons,  no 
matter  how  superior  their  intelligence  nor  how 
valuable  the  services  they  rendered  to  the  country. 
As  long  as  any  one,  whether  strong  or  weak,  lived 
up  to  the  laws  of  the  State  and  applied  himself  to 
the  best  of  his  ability,  just  so  long  was  he  allowed 
a  voice  in  the  government  and  an  equal  propor 
tion  of  the  benefits  accorded  to  all. 

"Both  men  and  women  enjoyed  equal  rights. 

"Every  man  and  woman  in  the  country  was  a 
public  servant;  they  all  worked  for  the  public  good. 
Each  law  adopted  was  put  into  force  through  the 
direct  vote  of  all  the  people.  Municipal  and  sec 
tional  laws  were  made  uniform  throughout  the 
entire  nation.  The  public  oflicials  were  chosen  from 
the  wisest  men  and  women  of  the  land.  These 
officials  formulated  the  laws,  but  none  of  them 
became  operative  until  sanctioned  by  the  people 
through  suffrage.  And  no  matter  whether  the  law 
was  great  or  trivial,  it  was  left  for  the  people  to 
decide  whether  they  would  accept  or  reject  it.  The 
majority  always  settled  the  question,  and  the  law 
went  into  operation  for  a  stated  period,  at  the  expir 
ation  of  which  time  the  question  would  again  be 
reconsidered  and  voted  upon  if  necessary.  The 
laws  were  few  and  perfectly  plain,  and  could  not  be 
evaded.  Nor  was  there  any  advantage  to  be  gained 
by  evading  them.  The  principle  simply  decreed, 
that  all  persons  must  devote  a  certain  portion  of 
their  time  to  advancing  the  conditions  of  the  coun- 


98  BORNAGAIN 

try  which  gave  them  sustenance.  The  State  allotted 
to  the  individual  the  employment  for  which  it  was 
demonstrated  he  was  best  fitted.  The  working 
hours  were  few,  so  that  there  was  no  strain  upon 
any  one,  no  matter  what  labor  he  had  to  perform. 

"The  average  length  of  time  the  individual  was 
compelled  to  work  for  the  public  was  four  hours 
daily,  the  balance  of  the  time  being  at  his  own  dis 
posal,  but  usually  occupied  as  follows:  four  hours 
study;  two  hours  for  physical  exercise  and  recreative 
games;  three  hours  to  music,  painting  and  other 
intellectual  amusements;  three  hours  for  nourish 
ment  and  eight  hours  for  sleep.  While  it  was  not 
compulsory  to  pass  one's  time  as  stated,  still  it  was 
generally  taught  and  believed  that  in  so  doing  the 
individual  developed  his  greatest  qualities. 

"As  the  State  provided  everything  the  individual 
needed  from  time  of  birth  until  death,  it  gave  him 
an  opportunity  to  devote  his  time  to  higher  and 
purer  thoughts  and  purposes  than  the  mere  animal 
desires  for  selfish  gain,  and  thus  exterminated  the 
cause  of  deception,  fraud,  theft  and  all  other  crimes 
arising  therefrom. 

"According  to  our  laws  the  public  owned  and 
operated  everything,  and  produced  and  distributed 
all  of  its  own  goods.  And  in  doing  this  it  set  aside 
all  superfluous  vocations  that  merely  wasted  public 
power  and  turned  these  forces  into  other  channels 
for  the  common  good.  For  instance:  as  the  State 
owned  all  of  the  land  and  everything  that  was  pro 
duced,  and  simply  gave  to  the  individual  that  which 
he  was  capable  of  consuming,  there  was  no  need  for 
such  things  as  taxes.  And  without  taxes  there  was 


BORNAGAIN  99 

no  public  labor  wasted  by  tax  collectors,  lawyers, 
treasurers,  auditors,  clerks,  book-keepers,  etc. 

"Then  again,  the  individual  being  able  to  obtain 
everything  free  of  charge,  money  became  valueless, 
all  the  evils  of  the  financial  system  eliminated,  and 
the  preponderance  of  labor  expended  in  upholding 
this  unnatural  system  was  used  for  productive  pur 
poses,  thus  doing  away  with  such  occupations  as 
money  making,  money  lending,  banking,  broking, 
speculating,  gambling,  etc. 

"Without  money  in  existence,  and  labor  being 
the  only  purchasing  power,  and  as  every  want  was 
satisfied  by  the  State  in  return  for  the  individual's 
services,  there  was  nothing  left  to  steal,  and  conse 
quently  no  necessity  for  utilizing  the  labor  of  an 
army  of  human  beings  as  police,  detectives,  judges, 
lawyers,  juries,  etc. 

"And  as  all  the  public  necessities  were  produced 
and  distributed  by  the  most  systematic,  direct,  and 
economic  methods,  straight  from  the  store-houses 
to  the  consumers,  there  was  no  use  for  merchants, 
traders,  jobbers,  agents,  salesmen,  clerks,  peddlers, 
etc. 

"As  each  individual  was  compelled  to  give  a  per 
centage  of  his  time  toward  general  production,  in 
order  to  be  a  member,  in  good  standing,  of  the 
community,  and  able  to  enjoy  all  the  rights  that 
such  membership  accorded,  there  was  no  chance  to 
avoid  honest  work  and  no  room  for  such  parasites 
as  tramps,  beggars  and  society  loafers. 

"So  that  in  abolishing  the  stupid  system  of  in 
dividual  accumulation  and  substituting  nature's 


100  B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N 

plan  of  united  labor  and  honest  distribution,  all 
useless  vocations  and  parasitic  accessories  were  ex 
tirpated  entirely,  thus  transferring  that  tremendous 
leakage  of  human  power  into  honest  production, 
the  beneficial  results  of  this  change  being:  shorter 
work  hours,  increased  education,  refinement,  com 
fort,  and  security  for  everybody,  and  the  extermina 
tion  of  selfishness  and  crime. 

"United  labor  merely  utilized  the  various  forces 
of  nature,  to  produce  and  distribute  all  the  necessi 
ties  of  life  for  the  general  welfare  of  mankind, 
by  the  most  intelligent,  humane,  and  unselfish 
methods." 

"But,"  said  I,  as  Arietta  paused  for  a  moment, 
'was  it  not  a  very  difficult  matter  to  make  all  men 
give  their  best  efforts  to  the  State  when  there  was 
no  incentive  for  personal  gain  other  than  that  which 
everybody  else  received,  and  did  not  those  who 
were  capable  of  accomplishing  more  work  than 
others,  complain  of  the  benefits  given  those  with 
less  ability  and  not  so  industriously  inclined  as 
themselves?" 

"Those  same  questions  were  asked  and  answered 
over  five  thousand  years  ago,"  replied  Arietta,  "and 
were  subsequently  proved  to  be  fallacies.  If  a  man's 
highest  aim  in  life  is  to  foolishly  pile  up  worldly 
products  for  his  own  piggish  satisfaction,  then  he  is 
really  on  no  higher  plane  than  the  swine;  for  the 
rich  accumulate  wealth  like  the  hog  does  filth,  for 
what,  they  know  not. 

"It  requires  far  more  ability  to  build  a  strong 
moral  character  and  a  kindly  feeling  for  others, 
than  it  does  to  accumulate  a  mountain  of  produce. 


101 

The  Sagemen,  with  their  splendid  intellects,  would 
gladly  have  worked  themselves  to  death  for  the 
public  good  had  not  the  State  restricted  the  work 
ing  hours  and  required  each  person  to  give  proper 
care  and  attention  to  himself  as  well  as  to  the  public. 

"Immediately  alter  discarding  the  old  system  of 
individual  accumulation,  the  Sagemen  passed  a  law 
that  all  persons  refusing  to  do  their  portion  of  work 
for  the  public  should  be  considered  insane,  and  put 
into  asylums  until  such  time  as  they  regained  their 
proper  senses.  No  work,  no  freedom,  the  statute 
said.  But  even  in  the  beginning  there  was  very 
little  use  for  these  asylums,  and  within  two  genera 
tions  they  became  obsolete  for  the  want  of  inmates. 

"The  vast  majority  of  human  beings  are  anxious 
to  appear  in  the  best  possible  light  in  the  eyes  of 
their  contemporaries  and  are  swayed  either  forward 
or  backward  by  the  sentiment  of  others.  If  public 
opinion  says  to  the  individual:  you  are  held  equally 
responsible  with  everybody  else  for  the  general  wel 
fare  and  conditions  of  your  country,  and  if  you 
show  a  lack  of  self-respect  by  trying  to  evade  the 
small  portion  of  work  necessary  to  pay  for  your 
keeping,  then  you  shall  be  judged  mentally  and 
morally  unsound,  and  not  fit  to  associate  with  re 
spectable  people,  he  will  not  only  do  all  that  is 
expected  of  him,  but  will  try  to  out-work  everybody 
else  in  order  to  secure  the  highest  esteem  of  his 
fellow  beings. 

"The  system  of  individual  accumulation  as  now 
practiced  throughout  the  entire  world  is  a  most 
brutal  plan  of  existence.  It  is  either  directly  or  in- 


102  BORN     AGAIN 

directly  responsible  for  all  the  crime  and  suffering 
humanity  has  to  contend  with.  It  causes  men  to 
forget  their  souls  in  the  desperate  struggle  for  a 
mere  living.  It  saps  the  strength  of  the  individual 
and  then  censures  him  for  being  weak.  It  robs 
him  of  the  fruits  of  his  labor  and  then  blames  him 
for  being  poor.  It  forces  him  to  steal  and  then 
punishes  him  for  being  a  thief.  It  drives  him  to  all 
sorts  of  crime,  and  then  condemns  him  for  being  a 
criminal.  It  encourages  and  gives  everything  to  the 
strong  and  discourages  by  taking  everything  from 
the  weak.  It  originated  with  the  primitive  savages, 
and  is  the  most  beastly  and  debasing  system  conceiv 
able.  It  keeps  mankind  in  the  very  lowest  stage  of 
intelligence,  and  in  a  condition  of  helplessness  on 
one  side  and  slavery  on  the  other.  It  has  been 
saturated  with  so  many  idiotic  laws  and  so-called 
remedies  since  its  inception  that  it  now  resembles  a 
great  network  of  legalized  corruption.  Laws  for 
this  and  laws  for  that,  and  laws  to  offset  other  laws 
are  enacted  until  the  power  of  the  human  race  is 
wasted,  in  either  making  or  breaking  the  innumer 
able  edicts  made  to  uphold  a  weak  and  rotten  system. 
"You  cannot  make  right  by  patching  up  wrong. 

"A  new  and  effective  system  cannot  be  created  by 
changing  the  features  of  an  old  and  putrid  one. 
An  entirely  new  foundation  must  be  constructed 
in  order  to  insure  solidity  and  strength.  That  was 
the  reason  the  Sagemen  uprooted  entirely  the  can 
cerous  system  of  individual  accumulation  and 
planted  in  its  place  the  scientific  and  mutually  bene 
ficial  plan  of  united  labor  and  equal  distribution  as 
decreed  by  Natural  Law. 


BORN     AGAIN  103 

"The  Apeman  being  the  foremost  of  living  par 
ticles  on  earth  at  the  present  time,  and  nature  being 
capable,  willing  and  generous  enough  to  abundantly 
provide  for  all  of  his  needs,  he  should  immediately 
cast  off  the  yoke  of  greed  and  devote  his  time  and 
best  efforts  to  a  nobler  work  than  the  petty  accumu 
lation  of  plunder." 


CHAPTER    18 

"In  equal  proportion  to  man's  moral  and  mental 
strength,  so  should  he  be  well-balanced  physically," 
proceeded  Arietta.  "In  fact,  he  cannot  accept  his 
greatest  opportunities  unless  perfectly  sound  and 
healthful.  The  mind  derives  its  power  of  conception 
from  the  body,  as  well  as  the  body  secures  its  im 
petus  from  mind,  therefore,  the  development  of  the 
frame  should  at  least  keep  pace  with  that  of  the 
intellect,  if  not  exceeding  it.  There  is  nothing  more 
delightful  to  behold  or  conceive  than  a  perfect 
physical  man,  whose  features  manifest  strong  moral 
and  mental  attributes,  as  exemplified  by  the  por 
traits  of  the  Sagemen." 

"Excepting  a  perfect  woman  as  depicted  by  your 
self,"  thought  I,  with  uncontrollable  rapture,  as  I 
feasted  my  eyes  upon  her  exquisite  form  and  lovely 
countenance.  Taking  notice  of  my  passionate  cogi 
tation,  she  interjected,  "Nature  created  the  male 
and  female,  and  in  order  to  perpetuate  life  itself, 
the  union  thereof  is  necessary;  therefore,  the  highest 
aim  of  each  should  be  to  win  and  hold  the  love  and 
companionship  of  the  other.  To  do  this  success 
fully,  each  must  strive  to  reach  the  very  highest  point 
of  physical,  as  well  as  mental  and  moral  excellence. 
Our  men  adored  women  as  the  most  sacred  and 
beautiful  objects  of  life;  the  women  revered  men  as 
the  grandest  things  extant. 

"According  to  the  philosophy  of  Sage — who,  by 
the  way,  was  the  founder  of  our  government,  and 
the  first  to  expound  the  principles  of  Natural  Law 


105 

—men  belonged  to  the  community,  and  not  the 
community  to  man.  He  contended  that  it  was  just 
as  essential  to  the  general  welfare  of  the  public  for 
the  individual  to  build  himself  up  from  a  healthful 
standpoint,  and  likewise  make  himself  pleasing  to 
the  eyes  of  others,  as  it  was  to  construct  sanitary  and 
artistic  houses. 

"Health  and  beauty  are  natural;  disease  and  de 
formity  are  acquired,  and  are  therefore  crimes 
against  mankind.  There  are  three  good  reasons 
why  it  is  criminal  for  one  to  neglect  health.  First, 
by  going  contrary  to  Natural  Law,  he  unfits  himself 
to  give  his  best  labors  toward  the  progress  of  his 
species.  Second,  by  breeding  disease  in  himself,  he 
forces  it  into  the  community.  Third — the  most 
heinous  crime  of  all — he  passes  down  to  his  offspring 
the  ghastly  inheritances  resulting  from  his  own  de 
graded  weaknesses,  which,  in  turn,  are  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation. 

"Intemperance,  such  as  over-eating,  over-drink 
ing,  over-work,  over-rest,  and  many  other  forms  of 
over-doing  things,  together  with  worry  and  unclean- 
liness,  is  directly  responsible  for  disease  and  deform 
ity.  All  living  things  would  be  healthful,  if  they 
contained  enough  intelligence  to  live  according  to 
Natural  Law. 

"Besides  using  moderation  in  taking  nourishment, 
work  and  pleasure,  the  Sageman  was  careful  about 
his  exercises,  assiduously  devoting  from  two  to  three 
hours  each  day  to  physical  culture.  He  practiced  all 
manner  of  games  and  acrobatic  performances,  in 
order  to  bring  the  body  up  to  its  best  possible  shape. 
Suppleness,  agility,  and  gracefulness  were  desired  in 
preference  to  brute  strength.  Running,  jumping, 


106  BORN     AGAIN 

swimming,  and  flying  were  considered  a  necessary 
part  of  every  one's  daily  routine,  from  early  youth 
until  old  age  and  death." 

"Flying,"  exclaimed  I,  incredulously,  "you  surely 
do  not  mean  to  inform  me  that  the  Sagemen  could 
fly?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Arietta,  "the  practice  of  floating 
in  the  air  was  begun  shortly  prior  to  the  great  catas 
trophe  and  many  of  our  men  and  women  were 
becoming  adepts  at  it.  You  see,  after  the  Sagemen 
discontinued  the  animal  method  of  eating  flesh  and 
other  solid  substances  and  adopted  the  aeriform 
process  of  nourishment,  he  naturally  became  much 
lighter  in  proportion  to  his  bulk,  and  gravitation  did 
not  hold  him  so  tightly  to  the  earth  as  formerly.  Of 
course  it  took  many  generations  of  tendency  in  that 
direction  before  he  could  even  acquire  the  rudi 
ments  of  aerial  propulsion.  But  after  the  dread 
feeling  of  worry  and  want  was  finally  eradicated 
from  his  mind  by  the  abolition  of  the  individual 
accumulative  system,  he  then  began  to  apply  himself 
carefully  to  physical  development,  and  as  running, 
jumping  and  acrobatic  work  have  the  best  symmet 
rical  effects  upon  the  human  form,  this  kind  of  exer 
cise  was  extensively  followed,  and  as  each  generation 
succeeded  in  outdoing  the  feats  of  the  preceding 
one,  the  entire  nation  finally  evolved  into  one  of 
extraordinary  springing  propensities. 

"What  will  you  think,  when  I  tell  you  that  any  of 
our  men  or  women  could  jump  over  the  highest 
building  there  is  in  the  world  today,  or  run  faster 
than  any  of  your  steam  locomotives?  It  seems  hard 
for  you  to  realize  such  things,  but  still  these  are 
facts.  In  these  days,  the  Apeman  devotes  his  time 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  107 

to  the  construction  of  machinery  with  which  to  carry 
around  his  decaying  and  almost  useless  frame,  while 
the  Sageman  utilized  the  power  of  his  own  body  to 
propel  himself  as  nature  intended. 

"The  gradual  increase  from  year  to  year,  and 
generation  to  generation,  of  the  Sageman's  ability 
to  make  high  leaps,  and  his  continual  desire  to  re 
main  in  the  air  as  long  as  possible,  eventually  bore 
evolutionary  results  by  man  learning  to  fly.  And 
like  swimming,  so  with  flying,  the  mind  plays  the 
biggest  part  towrards  its  accomplishment. 

"As  you  appear  incredulous  regarding  my  state 
ments,  I  will  just  give  you  a  little  illustration,"  said 
Arietta,  and  before  I  was  aware  of  her  intentions 
she  arose,  and  with  an  almost  imperceptible  spring 
went  straight  up  to  the  ceiling,  and  then  with  a 
graceful  movement  somewhat  similar  to  a  fish  swim 
ming  in  the  water,  she  went  half  way  across  the  room 
and  slowly  descended  to  the  floor  again.  "There  is 
no  good  reason  why  a  man  should  not  fly  as  well  as 
swim,"  said  Arietta,  being  seated  once  more.  "Time 
and  inclination  work  wonders,  and  the  human  race 
has  no  limit  to  its  achievements  if  it  only  takes  the 
right  course. 

"In  order  to  obtain  the  best  results  physically,  the 
individual  must  live  according  to  the  simple  laws  of 
nature.  Plenty  of  good  healthful  exercise  must  be 
taken  regularly  and  without  strain.  The  intelligent 
direction  of  the  mind  must  also  be  brought  into 
action  with  all  muscular  efforts.  Man's  daily  em 
ployment  should  be  a  mixture  of  both  mental  and 
physical  labor,  for  all  brain  work  strains  the  mind 
and  weakens  the  flesh,  wrhile  all  bodily  exertion 
over-taxes  the  frame  and  retards  the  growth  of  in- 


108  BORN     AGAIN 

tellect.  Deep  breathing,  an  abundance  of  pure  fresh 
air  and  plenty  of  sunlight  are  indispensable  to  per 
fect  health.  Daily  baths  are  essential  to  keep  the 
exterior  of  the  body  clean,  while  the  interior  must 
be  kept  in  good  order  with  a  moderate  supply  of 
simple,  wholesome  and  unadulterated  foods.  Na 
ture's  plain  beverage,  water,  is  all  that  man  should 
imbibe.  No  evil  thoughts  must  be  allowed  to  enter 
the  mind.  Cheerfulness,  self-control,  kindliness  and 
optimism  are  great  aids  in  promoting  health.  Pes 
simism,  worry,  anger,  fear  and  violent  emotions  are 
poison  to  the  system.  There  should  be  nothing  in 
life  to  fear.  The  unselfish  know  no  fear.  Those  who 
teach  it,  or  cause  others  to  fear  are  common  enemies 
to  health  and  progress. 

"The  beastly  custom  of  drinking  intoxicating 
liquors,  now  prevalent  throughout  the  world,  is 
one  of  the  very  worst  forms  of  robbing  the  indi 
vidual  of  his  physical  strength  and  vitality,  as  well 
as  his  reason  and  moral  character. 

"The  tobacco  habit  also;  that  idiotic  and  ridicu 
lous  performance  of  filling  the  mouth  with  smoke 
merely  to  blow  it  out  again,  is  another  dangerous 
obstacle  thrown  in  the  path  of  good  health.  It  seems 
strange  that  the  Apeman  cannot  open  his  eyes  wide 
enough  to  see  the  danger  as  well  as  the  absurdity  of 
these  silly  customs  which  sap  his  strength  and  leave 
him  in  a  state  of  abject  weakness.  What  a  pity  he 
cannot  exert  enough  will  power  to  overcome  these 
stupid  and  harmful  practices. 

"If  you  want  to  use  your  faculties  when  you  are 
old,  exercise  them  properly  when  you  are  young. 

"Improve  yourself  and  you  make  better  the 
world." 


CHAPTER  19 

"Sageland,  previous  to  the  catastrophe,"  resumed 
Arietta,  "was  a  small  oblong  continent  surrounded 
by  what  are  now  known  as  the  Indian  and  South 
Atlantic  Oceans.  It  ran  from  north-east  to  south 
west.  Its  extreme  length  was  nine  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  miles  and  its  greatest  width  was  three 
hundred  and  ninety-six  miles.  There  were  a  little 
over  thirty  million  inhabitants  in  the  land. 

"Unlike  the  different  countries  of  the  present 
time,  there  were  no  large  cities  in  Sageland.  The 
population  w^as  scattered  over  the  entire  surface  of 
the  country  at  intervals  and  was  domiciled  in  two 
distinct  ways,  namely:  the  rural  form  of  dwelling, 
in  w^hich  a  single  family  occupied  a  separate  house 
for  its  own  private  use,  and  the  borough  settlements, 
whereby  several  thousand  persons  lived  together 
under  one  roof. 

"The  great  structures  known  as  borough  build 
ings  covered  about  a  square  mile  of  land  each,  and 
were  from  fifty  to  eighty  stories  in  height.  They 
were  very  artistically  designed,  most  luxuriously  fur 
nished  and  the  sanitary  arrangements  absolutely 
perfect.  They  contained,  besides  a  private  room  for 
each  individual,  public  reception  rooms,  libraries, 
music  halls,  theatres,  gymnasiums,  baths,  etc.  No 
person  was  allowed  more  than  one  room  for  private 
use,  but  a  family  could  have  a  suite  of  apartments 


110  BORN     AGAIN 

in  proportion  to  its  own  number.  The  reception 
rooms,  music  halls,  theatres,  libraries,  gymnasiums, 
baths,  etc.,  were  entirely  public  and  all  persons  were 
at  liberty  to  come  or  go  as  they  pleased.  The  room 
in  which  you  are  now  seated  was  my  own  private 
apartment  in  a  borough  building  which  was  occu 
pied  by  seven  thousand  people. 

"I  have  already  explained  the  method  whereby 
we  received  our  sustenance,  the  different  aeriform 
substances  being  piped  directly  from  the  laboratories 
to  the  consumers'  personal  apartments,  thus  obviat 
ing  the  necessity  for  dining  halls  and  kitchens. 

"There  being  no  such  agency  as  commerce  in 
Sageland,  through  which  the  necessities  of  life  were 
bought,  sold,  exchanged,  or  stolen,  there  was,  of 
course,  no  need  for  such  establishments  as  wholesale 
or  retail  stores,  banks,  etc.  Neither  were  there  any 
jails.  Great  national  work-shops,  laboratories,  and 
store-houses,  a  national  auditorium,  art  gallery, 
museum,  and  observatory  were  the  only  buildings 
erected  besides  the  rural  and  borough  dwellings. 

"The  chief  industries  of  our  people  were  plant 
ing,  reaping,  condensing  and  distributing  dietary 
substances;  manufacturing  such  things  as  machinery, 
clothing,  paints,  musical  and  scientific  instruments, 
and  building.  Railroads,  steamships,  mail  service, 
the  telegraph  and  telephone  had  become  obsolete 
with  the  Sagemen.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  not 
necessary  for  men  to  travel  at  all  in  person,  for  by 
the  power  of  mind  sight  they  were  able  to  see  what 
took  place  at  any  particular  place  on  earth,  and  also 
they  were  capable  of  communicating  with  each 
other  telepathically  at  any  distance  just  as  easily  as 
I  am  now  conversing  with  you. 


BORN     AGAIN  111 

"Great  centrifugal  and  centripetal  engines,  cap 
able  of  transplanting  any  quantity  of  material  from 
one  place  to  another,  were  constructed  for  carrying 
purposes,  while  automatic  transmuting  machines, 
by  which  one  element  could  be  turned  into  another, 
cut  down  the  necessity  of  transportation  to  a  min 
imum.  Machinery,  directed  by  the  human  mind, 
and  deriving  its  power  from  the  sun  and  other  forces 
of  nature,  did  all  of  the  Sageman's  laborious  work. 

"The  Sageman's  discovery  and  partial  utilization 
of  the  two  great  forces  of  nature,  centrifugal  and 
centripetal  power,  were  the  causes  of  his  final  de 
struction,  however,  for  he  not  only  used  them  ad 
vantageously  here,  but  by  that  method  actually  tried 
to  regulate  the  earth's  course  in  space  to  suit  him 
self.  And  furthermore,  he  not  only  contemplated 
steering  his  own  world  in  whatever  direction  or  part 
of  the  heavens  he  might  choose,  but  his  ultimate 
plans  were  to  visit,  inhabit  and  control  the  move 
ments  of  all  the  great  bodies  of  the  universe. 

"These  laudable  purposes,  while  no  doubt  prac 
tical,  failed  by  being  undertaken  prematurely  as 
forewarned  by  many  of  our  ablest  thinkers,  who, 
unfortunately,  were  in  the  minority  when  the  ques 
tion  of  making  the  initial  trial  was  voted  upon.  And 
by  this  failure  the  earth  was  rent  in  a  fearful  manner, 
its  map  considerably  altered  and  Sageland  and  its 
people  wiped  out  of  existence  entirely. 

"Many  millions  of  Apemen  who  inhabited  the 
balance  of  the  globe  at  that  time  must  also  have 
perished  from  the  effects  of  the  awful  convulsion 
which  no  doubt  shook  the  earth  to  its  core.  And  so 
it  was,  I  presume,  the  upset  atmospheric  conditions 
of  the  earth  resulting  from  this  catastrophe,  forty- 


112  BORN     AGAIN 

two  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago,  that  is  responsible 
for  the  legend  by  which  the  Apeman  blames  the 
Creator  for  sending  a  flood  to  destroy  the  inhabitants 
of  the  world,  good  and  bad  alike. 

"But  notwithstanding  his  superior  intellectuality 
the  Sageman  was  far  from  being  infallible.  He  often 
made  mistakes  as  he  relentlessly  struggled  along  in 
search  of  knowledge. 

"Natural  Law  teaches  that  the  main  object  of  life 
is  to  absorb,  concentrate  and  utilize  intelligence. 
Intelligence  rules  the  universe.  The  Sageman  con 
sidered  it  his  duty  to  first  control  himself,  then  the 
earth,  and  finally  the  universe.  But  he  became  im 
patient,  and  wanted  to  explore  the  heavens  before  he 
had  assimilated  all  terrestrial  life,  and  concentrated 
sufficient  power  to  insure  success.  He  was  anxious 
to  control  new  worlds  before  he  had  put  his  own 
into  the  best  order.  Had  he  waited  until  the  Ape- 
man  and  other  living  particles  could  have  reached 
the  same  state  of  intelligence  as  himself,  and  then 
concentrated  and  utilized  the  combined  mental 
strength  of  the  whole  to  solve  the  great  problem,  no 
doubt  he  would  have  been  more  successful  in  his 
first  attempt  at  universal  navigation. 

"However,  he  tried  and  failed,  and  by  that  failure 
thoroughly  demonstrated  the  futility  of  one  part  of 
humanity  trying  to  rush  ahead  of  the  whole,  and  the 
absolute  necessity  for  all  mankind  to  work  unitedly 
and  harmoniously,  and  go  forward  as  a  unit  to  ac 
complish  the  greatest  results  within  its  power." 

"But,"  inquired  I,  "what  law  or  chance  was  it  that 
destroyed  all  of  your  countrymen,  and  still  preserved 
you  through  all  these  ages?" 


BORN     AGAIN  113 

"That  is  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  of  the 
whole  affair,"  answered  Arietta,  as  she  cast  a  loving 
glance  in  the  direction  of  the  leader  of  the  band,  and 
then,  reverently  pointing  toward  him,  she  continued, 
"he  was  the  foremost  man  of  his  day,  and  it  was 
generally  conceded  by  all  of  our  people  that  he  was 
the  greatest  man  the  earth  ever  produced.  Like  Sage, 
the  founder  of  our  government,  he  lived  entirely  foi 
others.  His  sole  aim  in  life  was  to  make  better  the 
conditions  of  all  living  things;  to  make  hardship, 
sorrow,  suffering  or  misery  an  impossibility  on  earth. 
In  order  to  be  of  the  greatest  service  to  others,  he 
knew  that  he  must  not  only  be  unselfish,  but  also 
build  up  his  body,  brain  and  character  to  the  very 
highest  degree  of  efficiency  and  perfection.  And  he 
did  so.  He  built  himself  up  from  a  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  standpoint,  until  it  seemed  to  others  that 
he  was  the  personification  of  intelligence,  love,  vir 
tue,  and  magnificence.  While  possessing  the  great 
est  brain  power,  still  he  was  the  most  humble  man  in 
Sageland.  Although  a  giant  in  physical  strength, 
yet  he  was  as  gentle  as  a  lamb.  He  was  the  greatest 
thinker  of  all  time,  but  there  was  no  room  in  his 
brain  for  an  impure  thought.  Notwithstanding  he 
was  still  a  young  man,  being  but  fifty  years  of  age, 
nevertheless  he  had  attained  distinct  success  and 
fame  as  a  musician,  composer,  scientist,  inventor, 
architect,  and  athlete.  He  endeavored  to  unravel  all 
the  mysteries  of  nature  which  attracted  his  attention. 

One  of  the  many  occult  forces  he  experimented 
with  was  human  magnetism.  It  was  his  belief  that 
man  could  preserve  himself  indefinitely,  either  in  a 
state  of  animation  or  suspended  vitality,  by  the 


114  BORN     AGAIN 

strength  of  his  own  will  power.  He  often  said  that, 
barring  accidents,  he  would  live  to  be  a  thousand 
years  old.  In  order  that  he  might  thoroughly  study 
the  subject  and  discover,  if  possible,  the  exact  forces 
that  caused  life  and  death,  he  often  used  me  as  an 
example  for  his  experiments.  Many  times  he  had 
caused  me  to  lie  in  a  trance  for  several  months'  dura 
tion  without  the  slightest  change  in  my  appearance 
showing  itself.  While  my  aid  was  necessary  to  sus 
pend  animation,  yet  when  once  under  the  influence 
of  the  strange  forces  by  which  it  was  accomplished, 
my  senses  departed  entirely,  and  I  had  no  power  to 
revive  myself,  but  had  to  depend  upon  him  to  restore 
consciousness. 

"Ten  days  prior  to  the  date  set  for  the  first  trial 
whereby  man  was  to  navigate  the  earth  in  space,  I 
allowed  him  to  put  me  under  the  spell  of  these  influ 
ences,  and  although  it  seems  like  yesterday  that  it 
happened,  still  over  forty-two  centuries  have  since 
passed  by.  Uncounted  billions  of  human  beings  have 
lived,  suffered  and  died  since  that  time,  but  the  same 
soul  which  guided  the  magnificent  being  who  put 
me  into  that  trance,  has  lived  through  it  all,  and  by 
a  mysterious  power,  has  finally  returned  to  release 
my  soul  from  its  incarceration.  It  was  a  natural 
law  which  caused  me  to  sleep  peacefully  through  all 
those  centuries,  and  likewise  it  was  according  to 
nature's  principle  that  you  were  brought  back  here 
to  awaken  me. 

"The  seed  of  united  labor  sown  by  the  immortal 
Sage,  which  proved  so  prolific  in  love  and  progress 
to  the  Sagemen,  was  not  entirely  destroyed  by  the 
great  catastrophe,  but  lay  smouldering  in  this  tomb 


BORN     AGAIN  115 

during  the  dark  ages  of  superstition,  ignorance  and 
cruel  civilization,  that  have  since  elapsed,  and  must 
now  be  replanted  in  the  soil  of  human  hearts,  and 
its  benevolent  results  spread  throughout  the  earth, 
offering  peace  and  good  will  to  all  living  things. 

"And  you,  who  are  guided  by  the  soul  of  my  final 
consort,"  said  Arietta,  as  the  full  rays  of  her  lumin 
ous  eyes  were  fastened  upon  me,  "I  entreat  you  to  go 
forth  as  a  messenger  of  truth  and  justice  and  teach 
the  principles  of  Natural  Law  to  all  of  your  species." 


CHAPTER  20 

"But  what  about  yourself?"  inquired  I  of  Arietta, 
as  I  met  her  sympathetic  gaze  with  a  look  of  adora 
tion.  "If  you  would  visit  the  different  countries  of 
the  world  you  could  revolutionize  things  in  a  very 
short  time,  I  am  sure.  You  could  explain  the  prin 
ciples  of  Natural  Law  to  the  people,  and  teach  them 
methods  of  which  I  know  nothing.  The  wise  and 
learned  men  of  the  present  time  would  understand 
your  explanation  much  better,  and  would  give  the 
subject  far  more  serious  consideration  than  if  I,  a 
poor  ignorant  fellow  with  neither  education  nor 
standing,  undertook  to  instruct  them.  The  whole 
world  would  stop  and  listen  to  you.  The  inhabitants 
would  set  you  up  as  a  goddess,  and  rally  to  your 
standard  as  mistress  of  the  earth.  Besides,  the  power 
your  apparently  unlimited  intelligence  would  cre 
ate,  your  wonderful  beauty  would  immediately 
charm  every  mortal  who  once  set  eyes  on  you.  Kings, 
emperors  and  potentates  of  all  kinds  would  fall 
madly  in  love  with  you  at  first  sight,  and  you  would 
have  but  to  command  to  bring  them  to  your  feet  as 
slaves  ready  to  do  your  slightest  bidding.  To  further 
your  own  purposes  you  could" — but  here  I  stopped 
short  in  my  recital,  shocked  by  a  thousand  little 
demons  of  jealousy  entering  my  brain  as  it  occurred 
to  me  that  perhaps  Arietta  would  forget  me  entirely 


BORN     AGAIN  117 

if  all  the  great  persons  of  the  earth  showered  honors 
and  favors  upon  her.  I  felt  intensely  miserable  at 
the  very  idea  of  such  a  thing. 

"Do  not  allow  silly  thoughts  to  enter  your  head," 
said  she  compassionately,  "I  shall  never  leave  this 
place.  This  room  has  been  the  scene  of  the  happiest 
hours  of  my  life  in  which  my  coeternal  companion, 
incased  in  the  flesh  of  a  real  man,  plighted  his  ever 
lasting  love  and  devotion  to  me.  And  by  a  simple 
and  intelligent  law  of  nature  I  have  been  held  a 
captive  in  this  room  through  countless  genera 
tions  to  witness  the  transformation  and  return  of 
that  faithful  comrade  to  release  my  soul  from  cap 
tivity.  And  now  this  room  shall  be  my  mortal 
sepulchre. 

"Although  I  should  like,  ever  so  much,  to  go  forth 
and  devote  many  years  to  teaching  the  Apeman  the 
glorious  principles  of  Natural  Law  as  prescribed  by 
my  beloved  countrymen,  yet  it  is  not  within  my 
power  to  do  so. 

"Owing  to  the  constant  change  in  the  chemical 
composition  of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  vast  differ 
ence  in  its  present  arrangement  and  that  of  four 
thousand  two  hundred  years  ago,  it  would  be  im 
possible  for  me  to  live  five  minutes  outside  of  this 
chamber.  In  fact  I  have  noticed  that  the  supply  of 
air,  which  must  have  been  hermetically  sealed  within 
this  vault  at  the  time  of  the  catastrophe,  has  been 
gradually  escaping  by  way  of  the  hole  through  which 
you  forced  a  passageway.  Hence  within  a  very  short 
time  my  life  will  have  oozed  away  for  the  want  of 
proper  stimulus.  Then  again,  the  period  in  which 
the  particles  of  this  human  frame  should  naturally 


118  BORN     AGAIN 

cling  together  has  long  since  expired,  and  should  I 
but  expose  myself  to  the  elements  now  existing  on 
the  exterior  of  this  place,  I  should  no  doubt,  crumble 
into  dust  and  be  blown  away  with  the  winds.  Not 
withstanding  nature  compels  the  mutability  of  all 
things,  its  laws  however  remain  unchangeable,  and 
as  the  time  has  passed  and  the  conditions  altered 
since  I  should  have  lived  my  natural  life,  this  mate 
rial  of  which  I  am  now  composed  must  soon  collapse, 
its  parts  disintegrate  and  return  to  the  elements 
from  whence  they  came. 

"But  my  soul  shall  continue  to  live,  and  the  same 
law  which  brought  you  back  here  to  me  will  also 
bring  our  souls  together  many  times  and  in  different 
forms  during  eternity.  And  as  you  now  possess  the 
strength,  intelligence  and  opportunity, '  it  is  your 
sacred  duty  to  go  forth  and  teach  Apemen  to  love 
one  another  and  practice  kindness  toward  all  living 
things,  for  you  know  not  in  what  shape  I  may  return. 
As  you  would  be  kind  to  me  now,  so  must  you  treat 
all  of  nature's  creatures.  And  remember,  that  the 
soul  you  so  ardently  worship  now  and  so  reverently 
loved  over  four  thousand  years  ago,  cannot  return 
in  a  perfect  form  if  there  are  none  such  forms  to 
inhabit,  or  in  a  good  and  pure  being  if  there  are  no 
such  beings  extant.  But,  on  the  contrary,  if  in  the 
future  none  but  good  and  beautiful  lives  exist  on 
earth,  my  soul  cannot  possibly  occupy  anything  else. 
Thus,  Natural  Law  plainly  teaches  that,  as  you  pre 
pare  earthly  conditions  in  one  form  of  life,  so  must 
you  tolerate  them  in  the  next.  In  fact,  our  own 
future  safety  and  happiness  depend  upon  all  living 
things  reaching  a  high  state  of  perfection  and 
equality. 


BORN     AGAIN  119 

"And  now,"  said  Arietta,  arising  and  exhibiting 
considerable  emotion,  "having  briefly  instructed  you 
in  Natural  Law  as  deeply  as  your  limited  mental 
capacity  will  permit,  the  time  has  arrived  that  we 
must  part,  for  I  feel  that  I  am  growing  weak  and 
cannot  live  much  longer.  In  fact,  it  has  been  through 
the  power  of  my  will  alone  that  I  have  been  kept 
alive  until  now.  So  prepare  yourself  to  go." 

"Go!"  ejaculated  I,  jumping  to  my  feet  with  an 
awful  feeling  of  anguish  as  I  realized  the  full  mean 
ing  of  her  words.  "Me,  go?  Never!  I  shall  remain 
here  and  we  shall  die  together.  I  could  never  live 
without  you.  There  would  be  left  no  object  in  life 
worth  living  for."  And  then,  advancing  forward,  I 
took  her  shapely  hand  in  mine,  and,  looking  directly 
into  her  lovely  eyes  with  much  earnestness,  said: 
"I  fully  understand  that  in  comparison  to  the  Sage- 
man,  I  am  a  hideous  and  degraded  creature.  And  I 
also  know  that  the  love  that  filled  the  heaves  of  your 
contemporaries  for  one  another  was  sublime,  having 
for  a  few  moments  during  that  musical  spell  been 
moved  by  the  same  emotions  that  once  impelled  the 
exalted  being  of  which  I  am  the  re-incarnation,  but 
believe  me  when  I  say  that  my  love  for  you  now  is 
ten  thousand  times  stronger  than  it  was  then.  I 
worship  you.  I  shall  die  for  and  with  you.  Aye,  even 
nature  itself  cannot  keep  me  alive  after  you  have 
gone.  I  may  not  be  the  equal  of  the  Sageman  in 
other  ways,  but  I  shall  prove  that  my  love  for  you  is 
equally  as  great." 

During  this  outburst  of  my  thoughts,  Arietta  stood 
in  a  motionless  attitude,  holding  my  outstretched 
hand  and  returning  my  excited  gaze  with  a  look  of 
mingled  pity  and  sorrow.  "Is  it  possible,"  said  she, 


120  BORN     AGAIN 

"that  there  is  not  one  Apeman  in  the  world  today 
with  sufficient  strength  of  character  to  relinquish  his 
own  selfish  desires  for  the  good  of  his  species?  Can 
it  be  that  not  one  Apeman  exists  whom  nature  can 
rely  upon  for  the  great  work  of  uplifting  humanity, 
who  is  brave  enough  to  resist  the  temporary  fascina 
tion  of  a  lovable  woman?  And  have  I  lived  to  see 
the  reincarnated  soul  of  the  bravest  and  noblest  man 
that  ever  breathed,  bound  within  the  flesh  of  a 
wretched  coward  incapable  of  living  for  any  greater 
purpose  than  his  own  self-gratification?  Am  I  to 
understand  that  one  who  is  controlled  by  the  spirit 
of  my  everlasting  associate,  intends  betraying  na 
ture's  trust  by  shirking  the  responsibilities  of  man 
hood,  because  he  lacks  the  courage  to  live?  Will 
there  be  promulgated  among  the  records  of  time  an 
account  of  my  immortal  partner  having  deserted  his 
post  of  duty  by  sneaking  out  of  the  world  before  his 
allotted  time?  Would  this  being,  who  is  blessed  with 
physical  strength  and  a  well-balanced  brain,  allow 
himself  to  sink  to  the  level  of  a  craven  suicide,  be 
cause  he  cannot  secure  something  beyond  his  reach? 
Does  he  think  that  nature  brought  him  into  exist 
ence  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  feed  his  own  petty 
desires?  Would  he  deliberately  die  like  a  useless 
poltroon,  and  leave  the  world  in  its  present  state  of 
savagery  and  wretchedness,  without  even  attempting 
to  be  of  service  to  humanity  in  the  very  work  it 
requires  the  most?" 

"Stop!  Enough!"  cried  I.  "You  have  wounded  my 
feelings  to  the  very  core.  I'll  admit  that  I  am  weak 
in  this  instance.  Very  weak  indeed.  But  this  is  the 
first  time  that  my  courage  has  ever  been  assailed  by 
anyone,  and  to  have  you  above  all  persons,  openly 


BORN     AGAIN  121 

insinuate  that  I  am  a  coward  is  far  worse  than  having 
inflicted  upon  me  the  crudest  tortures  of  the  Ape- 
man's  prospective  hell.  I  am  only  an  Apeman,  but 
as  I  said  before,  I  love  you  beyond  all  power  of  ex 
pression.  You  no  doubt,  cannot  understand  my 
puny  feelings  any  more  than  I  can  fully  comprehend 
your  lofty  ideals  or  the  full  meaning  of  your  higher 
knowledge  of  things.  The  very  greatest  hardship 
for  me  to  undergo  would  be  to  live  after  you  have 
passed  away.  But,  if  by  the  promise  of  so  doing  I 
can  gain  your  respect  and  one  encouraging  look  or 
word  of  approval,  I  will  not  only  rescind  the  text  of 
my  previous  statement  and  live,  but  I  swear  to  you 
in  the  name  of  the  Creator  of  the  law  which  governs 
all  things,  that  I  shall  strictly  follow  to  the  letter 
any  instructions  you  may  wish  to  offer  concerning 
my  future  movements,  no  matter  what  they  might 
be.  So  make  my  task  a  hard  one,  for  the  courage  you 
so  unfeelingly  attacked  must  be  tested  to  its  full 
limits.  I  am  ready  to  obey  your  commands." 

Having  thus  addressed  Arietta,  I  straightened  my 
self  up  to  my  full  height  with  as  much  dignity  as  I 
could  assume,  folded  my  arms  across  my  chest  and 
awaited  her  orders. 

"The  Sagemen  never  urged  their  desires  by  a 
command,"  replied  Arietta,  "they  simply  requested 
that  which  they  would  like  to  have  done.  The  re 
quest  I  shall  make  concerning  your  future  duty  can 
be  incorporated  in  a  very  few  words,  but  it  will  re 
quire  a  lifetime  and  great  strength  of  character  to 
execute.  But  as  you  have  promised  like  a  man  to 
follow  my  instructions,  I  shall  die  with  implicit  con 
fidence  in  your  determination  to  do  so.  So  consider 


122  BORN     AGAIN 

well  the  following  mandate,  for  it  contains  the  es 
sence  which  will  stimulate  you  to  heroic  deeds: 
"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice,, 
"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction." 
Three  times  Arietta  slowly  repeated  this  precept, 
and  then  placing  her  hands  upon  my  shoulders,  she 
continued:  "The  first  time  you  act  contrary  to  the 
admonition  of  your  soul,  then  you  will  have  broken 
your  promise  to  me.  Now  go,"  said  she,  turning  me 
about  until  I  faced  the  doorway,  "I  must  request 
your  immediate  departure.  Go,  and  try  to  be  a  man. 
We  shall  meet  many  times  in  the  future,  so  while 
you  have  the  chance  try  and  make  better  the  condi 
tions  of  life,  that  we  may  eventually  meet  on  the 
same  plane  of  equality  without  the  shadow  of  strife 
or  animosity  to  mar  our  happiness.  Good-bye." 

With  the  meaning  of  these  words  ringing  in  my 
head,  I  fully  understood  that  my  audience  with 
Arietta  was  at  an  end,  and  overcome  with  grief  and 
gloom  I  weakly  responded,  "good-bye,"  and  then 
added,  "I  shall  never  break  my  promise." 

Then  with  a  heavy  tread  I  walked  to  the  opening 
through  which  I  had  entered,  turned  half  around 
and  took  one  long,  last,  loving  look  at  Arietta  and 
passed  into  the  corridor  beyond.  At  the  same  time 
I  fancied  I  heard  her  gently  sobbing. 


CHAPTER  21 

Suffering  with  a  dejected  feeling  of  despair,  I 
wended  my  way  through  the  chaotic  anterior  hall 
in  search  of  the  hole  through  which  I  had  so  mirac 
ulously  entered.  It  seemed  as  if  life's  sole  aim  had 
suddenly  been  stricken  from  the  range  of  my  vision. 
I  could  not  understand  why  nature  should  be  so 
cruel  as  to  give  me  but  one  momentary  glimpse  of 
that  angelic  mortal  and  then  thrust  me  away  from 
her  in  such  an  indifferent  manner.  I  wondered  why 
the  world  was  not  populated  exclusively  by  such 
lovely  beings.  Was  it  because  the  people  themselves, 
through  their  individual  accumulative  system,  cre 
ated  conditions  whereby  only  the  most  abject  and 
debased  mortals  could  survive?  Was  this  system 
responsible  for  petty  selfishness,  instead  of  conscience 
governing  man,  causing  him  in  his  greedy  scramble 
for  temporary  gain,  to  keep  others  in  a  state  of  help 
lessness,  ignorance,  and  squalor,  thus  propagating 
an  inferior  race  of  physical,  mental,  and  moral  pig 
mies  as  the  foremost  inhabitants  of  the  earth?  Why 
could  not  humanity  organize  itself  as  a  great  unit  of 
unselfish  effort  and  equality,  for  the  purpose  of  up 
lifting  and  strengthening  all  of  its  component  parts, 
instead  of  those  parts  pulling  down,  weakening,  and 
destroying  one  another  in  a  ferocious  struggle  for 
individual  predominance? 


124  BORNAGAIN 

As  these  and  similar  thoughts  crowded  themselves 
into  my  brain,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  soft 
strains  of  music  emanating  from  the  room  I  had 
just  left,  and  I  stood  still  and  listened.  Arietta  had 
evidently  set  the  orchestral  mechanism  in  motion 
again,  and  was  accompanying  it  by  tenderly  singing 
her  own  requiem.  With  tremulous  modulation,  her 
vocal  chords  produced  sounds  such  as  I  had  never 
heard  before,  and  of  which  I  am  powerless  to  give 
the  faintest  description.  Like  a  statue,  I  stood  and 
listened  to  the  almost  supernatural  melody,  and 
inwardly  prayed  that  it  might  continue  forever.  But 
suddenly  both  the  music  and  singing  ended,  and 
absolute  quietness  prevailed.  It  may  have  been  a 
pure  fancy  on  my  part,  but  as  I  waited  in  breathless 
silence,  hoping  for  more  music,  the  apparition  of 
Arietta  seemed  to  pass  directly  over  my  head,  and 
continued  right  on  up  through  the  solid  roof  of  the 
hallway. 

Startled  beyond  expression  at  what  I  now  consider 
a  mere  delusion,  I  shouted  Arietta  at  the  top  of 
my  voice  several  times,  and  receiving  no  answer, 
either  telepathically  or  phonetically,  I  came  to  the 
awful  conclusion  that  she  was  no  more. 

Is  it  unmanly  to  cry?  If  so,  I  must  confess  my 
unmanliness,  for  on  this  occasion  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  repress  the  tears  from  coursing  down  my 
cheeks,  as  I  realized  that  the  last  of  nature's  grand 
est  and  noblest  earthly  beings  had  passed  away.  But 
the  tears  I  shed  apparently  softened  my  nature,  and 
as  I  stood  buried  in  the  depth  of  meditation  con 
cerning  the  preceding  events,  I  became  impregnated 
with  the  desire  to  try  and  do  some  real  good  in  the 
world;  to  make  myself  useful  to  mankind;  to  live 


BORN     AGAIN  125 

for  others  instead  of  myself  alone.  And  then  and 
there  I  resolved  that  I  would  devote  the  remainder 
of  my  natural  life  to  teaching  human  beings  the 
beautiful  principles  of  Natural  Law,  as  I  understood 
them,  without  expectation  of  compensation  or  future 
reward.  I  would  go  forth,  as  Arietta  had  requested, 
and  plant  the  seed  of  real  truth,  justice,  love,  and 
equality  in  human  hearts  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
and  trust  in  the  souls  of  men  to  further  aid  in  its 
universal  and  everlasting  productiveness.  I  felt  posi 
tive  that  the  theory  of  the  Sagemen  was  right,  and 
that  the  soul  just  released  from  Arietta  was  even 
then  beginning  life  in  a  different  form.  Would  it 
not  be  criminal  on  my  part  to  make  no  effort  to 
better  earthly  conditions  for  her  future  welfare? 
Perhaps,  conjectured  I,  the  soul  of  my  own  mother, 
who  died  at  the  time  of  my  birth,  might,  even  at  that 
moment,  be  incased  in  a  degraded  body,  surrounded 
by  want  and  misery,  caused  by  the  operation  of  that 
selfish,  brutal  and  murderous  civilized  system,  which 
encourages  the  strong  to  squeeze  the  very  light  and 
hope  from  the  weak,  thus  forcing  and  keeping  man 
kind  in  a  state  of  continual  degradation.  A  system 
that  was  created  in  the  beginning  by  savages,  and 
which  is  upheld  at  the  present  time  by  savages. 

How  long  I  stood  there,  seriously  thinking  on  this 
subject,  and  forming  new  and  laudable  resolutions 
for  the  future,  I  do  not  know;  but  at  last  I  awoke  to 
the  fact  that  I  was  still  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a 
common  adventurer,  held  captive  on  an  isolated 
projecture  in  the  middle  of  the  sea.  This  became 
more  apparent  as  I  faintly  heard  the  ocean's  waves 
dashing  against  the  rocks  on  the  outside  of  the  place. 
So,  following  in  the  direction  of  the  sounds,  they 


126  BORN     AGAIN 

became  louder  and  more  distinct,  until  finally  I 
found  myself  looking  up  at  the  very  hole  through 
which  I  had  bored  my  way  so  unceremoniously.  It 
was  night,  and  I  could  easily  distinguish  the  stars 
in  the  outer  darkness.  In  making  a  careful  survey 
of  the  surroundings,  I  discovered  that  it  was  going 
to  be  a  much  more  difficult  task  to  get  out  than  it 
was  to  get  in  this  extraordinary  grotto.  The  aperture 
was  located  about  three  feet  above  my  head;  was 
barely  large  enough  to  squeeze  through,  and  there 
was  no  way  by  which  I  could  climb  up  to  it.  I  ob 
served,  however,  that  adjoining  the  hole  there  was 
a  huge  marble  pillar  running  upward  and  outward 
in  an  oblique  slant,  and  wedged  in  its  position  by 
several  other  massive  stones,  but  with  its  end  pro 
truding  below  the  rest.  So,  without  wasting  any 
time,  I  leaped  up  and  caught  hold  of  it  with  both 
hands,  and  then,  adopting  the  tactics  of  a  gymnast, 
I  began  slowly  working  my  way  through  the  hole 
feet  foremost,  like  an  acrobat  going  over  a  hori 
zontal  bar. 

This  feat,  which  required  great  muscular  strength, 
flexibility,  and  tenaciousness,  was  the  very  hardest 
physical  performance  I  ever  accomplished,  for,  be 
sides  being  unable  to  get  a  firm  grip  on  it,  I  found, 
to  my  dismay,  that  the  great  pillar  I  clung  to  was 
insecure  in  its  position,  and  threatened  to  fall  and 
crush  me  beneath  its  weight. 

And  as  inch  by  inch  I  slowly  and  persistently 
worked  my  way  upward  and  outward,  so  inch  by 
inch  did  it  slowly,  but  surely,  work  its  way  down 
ward.  Passing  my  feet  and  legs  beyond  the  brink  of 
the  opening,  I  doubled  myself  up  in  such  a  way  that 
the  lower  half  of  my  body  rested  upon  a  sort  of  a 


BORN     AGAIN  127 

level  platform,  and,  with  head  downward,  I  pushed 
my  way  up  until  I  found  myself  kneeling  upon  the 
crust  I  had  previously  broken  through,  and  which 
I  subsequently  decided  must  have  been  a  great  pane 
of  glass,  covered  by  the  coagulated  settlings  of  the 
air,  which  for  centuries  had  been  forming  a  solid 
coating.  I  remained  in  a  kneeling  position  for  sev 
eral  moments,  catching  my  breath  and  regaining 
strength.  I  feared  to  move,  lest  the  thin  layer  upon 
which  I  rested  would  once  more  give  way  beneath 
me.  It  appeared  to  waver,  as  did  everything  else 
around  me.  After  a  short  rest,  I  carefully  arose  to  a 
standing  position,  and  then  observed  that  I  was 
located  in  a  sort  of  a  pit,  surrounded  by  rocks  of 
various  shapes  and  sizes.  As  I  cautiously  climbed 
upward,  each  one  of  them  appeared  to  tremble  at 
my  very  touch,  until  just  as  I  reached  the  topmost 
point  the  whole  mass  apparently  gave  way  at  once, 
I  lost  my  balance  and  fell  forward,  there  was  a  ter 
rible  crash,  and  after  that  I  became  dizzy  and  con 
fused. 

The  most  peculiar  and  disconnected  sensations 
then  passed  through  my  mind.  First  I  thought  there 
was  a  great  hole  in  the  side  of  my  head,  which  I 
tried  to  fill  with  small  stones.  Then  my  head  became 
full  of  holes,  and  finally  I  fancied  that  I  possessed 
a  half  dozen  heads  and  all  of  them  wrere  cut  and 
bleeding.  And  then  apparently  all  of  these  heads 
were  suddenly  and  mysteriously  severed  from  my 
body,  and  floated  away  in  space  like  a  lot  of  toy 
balloons.  Following  that,  it  felt  as  if  every  bone  in 
my  body  had  been  broken,  and  I  was  taking  these 
bones  from  their  places  and  trying  to  repair  them. 
Then  I  imagined  that  I  had  several  different  bodies, 


128  BORN     AGAIN 

and  all  of  them  were  bruised  and  mangled.  These 
forms  increased  in  numbers  until  I  could  see  nothing 
else  but  them,  and  they  appeared  to  be  struggling 
to  extricate  themselves  from  beneath  a  huge  object 
which  seemed  to  grow  in  size  until  it  was  as  large  as 
a  mountain.  Finally  released,  they  began  climbing 
up  the  mountain  until  the  summit  was  reached  and 
then  gradually  decreased  until  there  was  but  one 
left. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  me?"  I  wondered.  "Who 
am  I,  what  am  I,  and  where  do  I  belong?"  I  tried 
to  think  coherently,  but  my  mind  was  feeble  and 
incapable  of  grasping  an  intelligent  thought.  Day 
and  night  went  and  came  many  times,  but  still  I 
remained  on  that  mountain  wondering,  wondering, 
wondering.  Sometimes  I  would  expand  until  I  felt 
larger  than  the  mountain  itself;  then  again  I  would 
shrink  to  the  size  of  a  flea.  One  time  I  would  feel 
as  if  I  were  up  near  the  North  Pole,  surrounded  by 
ice  and  freezing  to  death.  At  another  time  I  would 
imagine  that  I  was  in  the  middle  of  the  Sahara 
Desert,  being  roasted  alive  by  the  scorching  rays  of 
the  sun.  And,  still  again,  I  would  feel  that  I  was 
shipwrecked  upon  a  barren  island,  and  was  slowly 
dying  for  the  want  of  food  and  water.  Sometimes 
I  fancied  that  I  could  see  ships  all  about  me,  and  I 
would  yell,  and  roar  at  the  top  of  my  voice  to  attract 
attention,  but  without  results,  as  they  would  pass 
beyond  view  without  taking  any  notice  of  me.  At 
other  times  it  seemed  that  ships  would  cast  their 
anchors  right  in  front  of  my  eyes,  and  apparently 
remain  stationed  there  for  weeks  and  months  at  a 
time,  and  yet  no  one  would  come  to  my  assistance. 
At  last  there  appeared  to  be  ten  thousand  ships  all 


BORN     AGAIN  129 

of  the  same  pattern  lowering  small  boats  into  the 
water,  and  these  boats  manned  by  stalwart  oarsmen 
started  to  race  with  each  other  in  my  direction. 
What  an  evenly  matched  contest.  On,  on,  on  they 
came,  bunched  closely  together,  each  using  the  same 
uniform  stroke  as  if  all  were  guided  by  the  same 
coxswain.  Now  they  were  right  upon  me.  "Great 
race,"  I  shouted,  as  they  came  within  hearing  dis 
tance.  "Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!" 

"The  poor  devil  is  mad,"  I  fancied  I  heard  some 
one  exclaim,  and  my  mind  became  a  blank. 


CHAPTER  22 

FIRST  VOICE:  "This  is  a  most  peculiar  case  of  en 
teric  fever,  in  which  the  patient  baffles  all  medical 
aid  towards  a  cure.  The  fellow  has  been  out  of  his 
head  ever  since  he  was  brought  here,  two  months 
ago,  and  fancies  that  he  has  been  in  a  trance  since  the 
time  of  Noah  and  the  Ark.  He  has  a  strange  halluci 
nation  that  he  can  be  awakened  from  his  protracted 
nap  by  a  kiss  from  a  certain  female,  whom  he  de 
scribes  as  Arietta  the  Beautiful.  Although  he  is  as 
crazy  as  a  loon,  yet  some  of  his  utterances  are  really 
remarkable  for  the  depth  of  logic  they  contain.  The 
case  has  its  amusing  side  also,  for  every  woman  by 
the  name  of  Arietta  who  visits  this  hospital  cannot 
resist  the  temptation  of  kissing  the  man,  in  order  to 
ascertain  whether  they  possess  the  secret  charm  to 
restore  his  right  senses.  But  so  far  the  osculatory 
experiment  has  proved  a  dire  failure.  He  bears 
evidence  of  being  a  handsome  and  distinguished 
person,  notwithstanding  he  is  a  charity  patient,  and 
without  friends.  His  identification  is  unknown,  he 
having  been  picked  up  on  the  street  in  his  present 
condition  by  the  police,  who  had  him  sent  here.  I 
fully  believe — but  Miss,  you  are  crying.  Evidently 
your  nature  is  too  emotional  for  the  sick  room,  so 
come,  we  will  pass  along." 


BORN     AGAIN  131 

SECOND  VOICE:  "No,  wait  a  moment,  Doctor.  I— 
I  think — I  am  positive  that  I  know  this  man.  In 
fact,  I  was  very  well  acquainted  with  him  a  few  years 
ago.  It  all  seems  so  strange,  but — well — you  see- 
he  often  told  me  that  he  loved  me.  Yes,  my  name 
is  Arietta,  but  I  did  not  love  him,  nor  even  like  him. 
My  father  and  mother  hated  him,  and  we  all  had  to 
secretly  leave  home  and  travel  abroad  in  order  for 
me  to  avoid  his  undesirable  attentions.  But  not 
withstanding  that,  my  heart  now  bleeds  for  him  in 
his  terrible  plight,  and  I  want  to  do  something  for 
him.  My  conscience  would  not  allow  me  to  pass 
along  without  trying  to  aid  him.  You  say  that  in 
his  ravings  he  claims  that  a  kiss  from  Arietta  would 
save  him.  I  have  never  done  such  a  thing  before  in 
my  life,  but  now  an  irresistible  force  from  within 
has  taken  possession  of  me  and  I  feel  that  it  is  my 
duty  to  try  the  experiment  myself,  and  see  if  it  will 
have  the  effect  of  restoring  his  normal  condition. 
Therefore,  Doctor,  whether  this  strange  method 
proves  efficacious  or  not,  I  shall  rely  upon  your 
honor  to  keep  the  secret,  and  never  mention  the 
incident  to  him.  If  he  knew  of  it  I  should  die  of 
shame.  My  parents  would  disown  me  for  such  an 
act." 

As  though  awakening  from  a  long  and  profound 
sleep  the  aforesaid  colloquy  seemed  to  have  been 
impressed  upon  my  mind,  and  then  I  opened  my 
eyes  and  looked  about  in  astonishment.  The  strange 
ness  of  my  position  and  surroundings  surprised  me 
beyond  expression.  I  was  lying  upon  my  back  in  a 
small  narrow  bed  stationed  within  a  large  oblong 
room  about  one  hundred  by  fifty  feet  in  dimensions. 
Long  rows  of  little  white  beds  extended  from  one 


132  BORN     AGAIN 

end  of  the  apartment  to  the  other,  each  containing 
the  form  of  a  human  being.  Most  of  these  forms 
appeared  to  be  soundly  sleeping,  some  lay  awake 
silently  meditating,  while  others  tossed  about  nerv 
ously  from  one  position  to  another  as  if  in  terrible 
agony.  An  occasional  howl  of  torture  rent  the  air. 
Moving  hither  and  thither  among  the  different  beds 
were  women  attired  in  white  dresses  and  wearing 
little  white  caps  on  their  heads.  They  carried  in 
their  hands,  spoons,  tumblers,  trays,  and  various 
instruments  and  vessels  of  peculiar  design. 

At  the  front  of  my  bed  stood  a  man  of  medium 
height  and  build,  with  a  heavy  reddish  mustache 
and  pointed  beard.  At  one  side,  half  way  between 
the  head  and  foot  of  my  bed,  was  the  figure  of  a 
woman,  apparently  about  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
She  was  tall,  slender,  graceful,  and  magnificently 
gowned  in  street  clothes.  Her  head  wras  shapely 
and  covered  with  an  abundance  of  dark  brown  hair. 
Her  physiognomy  was  intellectually  strong,  and  the 
whole  cast  of  her  features  showed  extraordinary 
beauty.  Her  eyes  were  clear  and  bright,  and  ex 
pressed  a  tender  and  sympathetic  nature.  She  was 
looking  straight  at  me  in  a  half-startled  sort  of  a 
manner,  and  appeared  to  be  backing  away  from  the 
bed  upon  which  I  lay.  As  my  eyes  met  her  steady 
gaze  I  involuntarily  exclaimed,  "Arietta!"  Then 
instantly  my  memory  returned,  and  I  remembered 
all  that  had  taken  place,  as  explained  in  the  preced 
ing  chapters. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  that  my  mind  became 
clear  and  well-balanced,  I  became  extremely  puzzled 
as  I  looked  at  this  beautiful  woman,  to  note  that 
she  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  sublime 


BORN     AGAIN  133 

being,  who  had  just  passed  away  among  the  remnants 
of  Sageland,  and  I  became  still  further  confounded 
when  she  timidly  approached  me  and  softly  said: 
"You  are  John  Convert,  are  you  not?" 
"Yes,"  answered  I,  "that  is  my  name." 
"And  do  you  recognize  me?"  inquired  she. 

"I  recognize  in  you  a  living  demonstration  and 
positive  realization  of  the  principle  of  re-incarna 
tion,  as  embodied  in  the  Sageman's  theory  of  Nat 
ural  Law,"  answered  I,  slowly  and  deliberately.  "I 
recognize  in  you  the  soul  of  Arietta,  of  Sageland, 
my  eternal  companion,  and  a  fulfilment  of  her 
prophecy  that  she  would  be  born  again.  But  while 
I  make  this  declaration  with  the  utmost  positiveness, 
still  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  such  a  thing 
could  be,  as  the  soul  of  that  lovely  being,  having 
but  just  left  its  material  body,  should  according  to 
Natural  Law,  have  attached  itself  to  an  embryo 
form,  while  you  are  a  full-grown  woman." 

At  these  words  she  appeared  considerably  amazed 
for  a  moment,  but  quickly  recovering  herself,  she 
said  with  much  sympathy  and  tenderness  of  feeling: 
"Come,  now,  Mr.  Convert,  try  and  think  clearly 
and  talk  sensibly.  Don't  you  recollect  how,  three 
years  ago,  we  became  acquainted  in  Paris;  how  per 
sistently  you  followed  me  all  over  Europe,  then 
crossed  the  Atlantic  aboard  the  same  steamer,  and 
finally  journeyed  out  West  to  my  home?  Don't  you 
remember  how  angry  Papa  became,  and  how  he 
threatened  you  with  dire  punishment  if  you  did  not 
stop  annoying  us?" 

"No,"  said  I  emphatically,  "there  must  be  some 
mistake,  for  I  have  never  visited  Paris  and  I  dis- 


134  BORN     AGAIN 

tinctly  recollect  having  been  in  Japan  three  years 
ago,  as  I  celebrated  my  nineteenth  birthday  in 
Tokio." 

"Now  that  is  absurd,"  said  she,  with  a  mingled 
look  of  pity  and  suppressed  amusement.  "Three 
years  ago  you  told  me  that  you  were  forty  years 
old.  Don't  you  recollect  how  you  once  cautioned 
me  not  to  consider  you  an  old  man  simply  because 
your  hair  was  white,  and  how  angry  you  became 
because  I  called  you  Grandpa?  Come  now,  think 
real  hard." 

At  these  words  I  began  to  seriously  doubt  my 
own  identity,  but  after  a  moment  of  calm  delibera 
tion  I  replied,  "No,  I  do  not  recollect  any  such 
happenings,  and  moreover,  I  am  not  forty  years 
of  age,  but  twenty-two,  and  neither  is  my  hair  white 
but  black  as  you  can  plainly  see.  Will  you  please 
tell  me  where  I  am?  My  mind  is  a  trifle  confused  at 
the  strange  surroundings." 

"You  are  in  the  Ruff  Hospital,  New  York," 
answered  she.  "I,  myself,  have  been  spending  some 
time  in  this  city,  and,  strangely  enough,  took  a 
notion  that  I  should  like  to  see  the  different  hos 
pitals.  It  was  purely  accidental  that  I  ran  across 
you.  The  doctor  says  you  have  typhoid  fever,  but," 
she  added,  in  an  encouraging  manner,  "you  will 
soon  be  well.  So  cheer  up,  and  try  to  concentrate 
your  mind,  so  that  you  can  think  properly." 

"Ruff  Hospital,  New  York!"  ejaculated  I,  in 
astonishment.  "How  the  deuce  did  I  get  away  over 
here?  Oh,  I  understand;  I  fell  among  the  rocks  and 
was  hurt;  then  the  sailors  came  and  rescued  me,  and 
I  was  brought  here.  That  seems  like  a  few  moments 


BORN     AGAIN  135 

ago,  but  I  presume  at  least  a  month  must  have 
elapsed  since  or  the  ship  could  not  have  reached  this 
port.  What  month  is  this,  January?" 

"No,  this  is  the  month  of  March,"  replied  she. 

"March!"  exclaimed  I.  "Great  heavens,  how  the 
time  has  flown!  Why,  that  is  about  three  months 
that  I  have  known  absolutely  nothing.  Let's  see,  it 
was  December  5th  that  I  was  thrown  overboard, 
and  it  must  have  been  December  7th  that  Arietta 
died.  That's  right,  December  7,  1881—1  shall 
always  remember  that  date  and  keep  it  holy.  It 
must  be  now  March,  1882." 

"Why,  Mr.  Convert,  you  are  certainly  dream 
ing,"  responded  she,  "this  the  year  1903,  not  1882. 
But  how  strange  that  you  should  get  so  mixed  in 
the  dates — December  7,  1881,  was  the  day  I  was 
born.  That  was  over  twenty-one  years  ago,  instead 
of  three  months,  as  you  fancy." 

At  this  juncture  the  red-whiskered  individual 
came  forward  and  said:  "It  seems  to  be  a  hopeless 
case,  Miss.  He  has  talked  in  that  same  strain  ever 
since  he  came  here.  Perhaps  after  his  fever  abates 
somewhat  he  may  regain  his  equanimity,  but  to  me 
it  looks  as  if  his  mind  will  always  be  unbalanced. 
He  has  a  nasty  scar  right  over  the  temporal  region, 
which  portends  ill  for  his  future  reason.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  better  not  to  talk  to  him  any  further  at 
present.  He  is  awfully  weak,  and  appears  more 
excited  than  usual.  You  have  evidently  made  some 
impression  upon  him,  however,  and  if  you  would 
visit  him  every  few  days  he  might  eventually  be  able 
to  recognize  you,  which  would  have  a  strong  tend 
ency  to  set  him  mentally  straight  again." 


136  BORN     AGAIN 

"Very  well,"  said  she,  hesitatingly,  as  if  not 
anxious  to  go.  "May  I  call  and  see  him  tomorrow, 
Doctor?" 

"There  are  only  three  visiting  days  here  each 
week,  Miss;  Sundays,  Wednesdays  and  Fridays, 
between  the  hours  of  three  and  four  P.  M.  But 
any  time  you  call,  if  you  will  ask  at  the  office  for 
Doctor  Savage,  that  is  my  name,  I  shall  consider  it 
a  pleasant  duty  to  render  you  any  service  within  my 
power,"  replied  he,  looking  at  her  with  unsup- 
pressed  admiration,  of  which  she  apparently  took 
no  notice.  Then  continuing,  he  said,  "Would  you 
kindly  give  me  your  card  that  I  may  know  your  full 
name  in  case  you  call  at  other  times  than  the  regular 
visiting  hours?" 

She  opened  her  pocket  book  as  if  to  take  out  a 
card,  stopped  and  reflected  a  moment,  and  then 
said,  "Well,  never  mind  my  last  name;  just  remem 
ber  me  as  Arietta,"  and  before  I  could  collect  my 
wits  sufficiently  to  voice  my  agitated  thoughts  they 
passed  from  the  room  together. 


CHAPTER  23 

As  I  lay  musing  over  the  strange  occurrences 
recorded  in  the  previous  chapter,  and  wondering 
whether  my  entire  life  was  a  reality  or  merely  a 
peculiar  dream,  one  of  the  white-capped  nurses 
strode  up  to  the  side  of  my  bed  and  without  the 
slighest  warning  roughly  pushed  a  little  glass  tube 
in  my  mouth.  Not  knowing  whether  she  wanted 
me  to  swallow  it  or  was  merely  trying  to  puncture 
a  hole  in  my  tongue,  I  put  it  out  again  and  asked 
what  she  intended  doing. 

"Now  look  here,"  said  she,  in  an  irritated  way, 
"I  have  about  lost  all  patience  with  you,  and  unless 
you  do  as  I  tell  you  hereafter  I  shall  have  the  orderly 
punish  you  again." 

"But,"  said  I,  in  amazement,  "you  have  not 
mentioned  yet  what  you  would  have  me  do." 

"I  have  told  you  fully  a  hundred  times  to  put  this 
thermometer  under  your  tongue  and  keep  it  there," 
replied  she,  exhibiting  considerable  temper,  as  she 
viciously  jammed  it  once  more  into  my  mouth  and 
twisted  it  under  my  tongue.  "You  are  about  the 
biggest  chump  that  ever  came  into  this  hospital," 
continued  she,  grasping  my  wrist  as  though  she  in 
tended  breaking  it  and  simultaneously  taking  my 
pulse  and  temperature. 


138  BORN     AGAIN 

A  few  moments  later  she  jerked  the  thermometer 
from  my  mouth,  glanced  at  it  hurriedly  and  then 
entered  a  record  upon  a  chart  suspended  from  the 
head  of  my  bed.  Then  calling  one  of  the  male 
attendants,  she  instructed  him  to  fill  the  tub  pre 
paratory  to  giving  me  an  ice  bath.  This  attendant 
went  to  the  corner  of  the  room  from  whence  he 
secured  a  bath  tub  on  wheels,  which  he  pushed  over 
to  the  side  of  my  bed.  The  tub  was  already  partly 
filled  with  water,  and  I  afterward  learned  that  owing 
to  the  laziness  and  filthiness  of  the  attendants,  the 
same  water  was  often  used  over  and  over  again  for 
i;he  different  typhoid  patients.  I  observed  that  this 
attendant,  who  was  otherwise  called  an  orderly,  was 
about  as  ignorant  and  degraded  a  specimen  of 
humanity  as  a  much  boasted  civilization  could  possi 
bly  breed. 

He  was  about  six  feet  tall,  round-shouldered, 
knock-kneed,  and  weighed  about  two  hundred 
pounds  of  flabby  flesh,  mostly  covered  by  filthy 
garments.  His  head  was  pyramidal  in  shape,  and 
covered  by  a  mass  of  unkempt  red  hair.  He  had 
practically  no  forehead.  His  eyes  were  dull  and 
bloodshot.  His  nose  was  flat  and  bent  to  one  side, 
and  his  whole  face  was  covered  with  pimples.  His 
mouth  was  wide  and  beastly,  and  filled  with  tobacco. 
His  mustache  was  irregular,  and  dyed  almost  to  the 
roots  by  tobacco  juice.  His  breath  was  odoriferous 
with  fumes  of  whiskey,  cigarettes,  and  foul  stomach 
disorders,  causing  a  poisonous  stench  to  pollute  the 
surrounding  atmosphere.  One  could  not  look  upon 
him  without  a  feeling  of  sickening  disgust.  He  was 
a  twentieth  century  civilized  American.  He  was 
not,  of  course,  the  highest  type  of  a  civilized  Amer- 


BORN     AGAIN  139 

ican,  but  nevertheless  he  was  of  a  high  enough  order 
for  a  civilized  country  to  breed,  rear,  and  put  in 
charge  of  its  sick  and  unfortunate  members. 

As  he  pushed  the  tub  along  he  carelessly  allowed 
it  to  strike  the  end  of  my  bed,  which  gave  me  a 
shock  as  though  I  had  been  pierced  by  a  thousand 
daggers,  causing  an  involuntary  groan  to  escape 
from  my  lips. 

"Shut  up  there,  you  old  duffer,"  said  he,  looking 
at  me  in  a  stupid,  expressionless  sort  of  a  way,  "you 
are  not  hurt  yet.  I'll  give  you  something  to  cry 
about  if  you  don't  quit  making  such  a  fuss  over 
nothing.  You're  the  biggest  baby  I  ever  saw." 

Having  fixed  the  tub  in  position,  put  some  pieces 
of  ice  into  the  water,  and  adjusted  a  small  portable 
partition  around  my  bed,  which  obstructed  the 
view  of  the  other  patients,  he  called  for  the  assistance 
of  another  attendant,  and  began  preparations  to  put 
me  into  the  tub.  As  they  uncovered  me,  I  glanced 
down  at  my  emaciated  form  and  was  astounded  at 
my  own  appearance.  Nothing  now  remained  of 
the  once  muscular  and  powerful  frame  I  had  always 
felt  so  proud  of,  but  sickly  looking  skin  and  bones. 
Raising  my  arm  to  the  level  of  my  eyes  I  discovered 
that  it  was  shriveled,  and  ghastly  to  behold,  and  it 
fell  back  to  my  side  with  a  sickening  thud  for  the 
want  of  strength  to  remain  erect.  It  seemed  as  if 
a  great  fiery  furnace  was  located  within  me  and  that 
I  was  fairly  burning  alive.  Ten  thousand  different 
pains  were  shooting  back  and  forth  in  every  part  of 
my  body,  but  the  most  excruciating  of  all  was  a 
terrible  pain  in  the  center  of  my  back,  which  caused 
me  to  think  that  my  spinal  column  had  been  dis 
located.  And  then  as  if  all  of  the  tortures  of  a  refined 


140  BORN     AGAIN 

civilization  had  suddenly  been  thrust  upon  me,  as 
though  some  supernatural  hellish  agency  was  instru 
mental  in  causing  me  to  go  the  full  limit  of  human 
suffering,  those  two  devilish  orderlies  took  hold  of 
me,  one  by  the  head  and  the  other  by  the  feet,  and 
without  any  leverage  whatever  to  break  the  strain 
upon  my  backbone,  they  raised  and  then  dumped 
me  into  the  tub  of  ice-water  below.  I  had  always 
considered  myself  invulnerable  to  bodily  pain,  and 
from  early  youth  had  schooled  myself  against  out 
ward  manifestation  of  suffering,  no  matter  what  the 
circumstances  might  be,  but  on  this  occasion  the 
power  of  resistance  deserted  me  entirely  and  I  gave 
vent  to  a  howl  of  rage  like  the  bellowing  of  a  mad 
dened  bull,  and  partly  arising,  endeavored  to  clutch 
the  throat  of  the  unfeeling  beast  at  my  head,  but 
too  weak  to  accomplish  my  purpose  I  fell  back  into 
the  tub  exhausted.  At  the  same  time  the  orderly 
took  hold  of  my  own  throat  and  almost  strangling 
me,  beat  my  head  against  the  tub  several  times 
cursing  me  under  his  breath  in  the  vilest  of  language 
at  the  same  time. 

"Look  out  you  don't  kill  him,"  cautioned  the 
other  orderly  at  the  foot  of  the  tub,  "  or  we  might 
have  to  go  through  another  of  those  damned  inves 
tigations." 

Just  then  the  doctor  and  nurse  came  within  the 
inclosure,  and  inquired  as  to  the  cause  of  the  com 
motion. 

"This  damned  idiot  has  broken  loose  again,  and 
I  am  teaching  him  how  to  behave  himself,"  replied 
the  orderly. 

"Well,  he  certainly  needs  a  lesson  in  good  be 
havior,"  chimed  in  the  nurse;  "I  cannot  understand 


BORN     AGAIN  141 

why  he  has  not  been  sent  over  to  the  Island  for  more 
strenuous  treatment  long  ago." 

"Why  don't  you  do  as  told?"  inquired  the  be- 
whiskered  Dr.  Savage,  in  a  harsh  tone  of  voice,  as  he 
approached  close  to  me,  but  I  was  too  weak  and  ex 
hausted  to  answer,  and  merely  looked  from  one  to 
the  other  with  the  utmost  feeling  of  contempt.  After 
censuring  me  sternly  and  advising  me  to  behave  my 
self  in  the  future,  the  doctor  strolled  away  as  if  such 
incidents  wfere  of  trifling  importance. 

I  was  kept  in  that  tub  of  ice-water,  freezing,  for 
fifteen  minutes,  while  the  nurse  and  orderlies  lazily 
rubbed  my  arms,  legs,  and  trunk,  and  poured  pitcher 
after  pitcher  of  ice-water  over  my  head,  in  an  effort 
to  reduce  the  fever.  It  was  a  barbarous  method  of 
treatment,  and  seemed  of  several  hours'  duration, 
but  it  allayed  that  intense  burning  sensation,  and 
put  new  life  and  vigor  into  me.  As  they  were 
about  to  transfer  me  back  to  the  bed  again,  I  quietly 
informed  the  nurse  that  my  back  was  in  a  terrible 
condition,  and  requested  that  the  orderlies  be  in 
structed  to  handle  me  a  little  more  carefully,  and 
to  take  hold  of  my  body  instead  of  my  head  and  feet 
when  lifting  me  up,  so  that  the  strain  would  be  less 
on  the  middle  of  my  back. 

"There  is  nothing  the  matter  with  your  back," 
snapped  she.  "I  have  told  you  many  times  before 
that  you  only  imagine  your  back  hurts.  Further 
more,  we  understand  our  business  without  any 
advice  from  you." 

And  with  this  rejoinder,  the  orderlies  once  more 
took  hold  of  my  head  and  heels,  and  after  much 
tugging  and  twisting,  managed  to  lift  me  up  into 


142  BORNAGAIN 

the  bed.  This  time  the  pain  seemed  even  greater 
to  bear  than  before,  but,  summoning  all  my  will 
power,  I  managed  to  take  the  brutal  treatment  in 
silence,  and  said  no  more. 

Back  upon  the  bed  again,  shivering  and  shaking 
with  cold  as  though  my  bones  would  break,  I  was 
covered  with  heavy  blankets,  and  shortly  afterwards 
fell  asleep,  thoroughly  exhausted,  and  feeling  assured 
beyond  a  doubt  that  I  had  once  more  returned  to 
civilization. 


CHAPTER  24 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  give  a  full  description  of 
hospital  life  as  it  came  under  my  personal  observa 
tion,  nor  to  recount  the  many  cruel  acts  or  cases  of 
stupid  negligence  on  the  part  of  the  house  staff  as 
perpetrated  upon  myself  and  other  patients,  during 
my  stay  in  the  Ruff  Hospital  as  a  ward  patient,  as  to 
do  the  subject  justice  would  require  at  least  a  volume 
in  itself.  Neither  is  it  my  desire  to  hold  responsible 
any  particular  person  or  persons  for  the  existence 
of  such  a  barbarous  state  of  affairs,  in  which  de 
graded  wretches  inflict  punishment  upon  the  sick, 
knowing  that  this  is  but  one  of  the  logical  results 
bred  from  the  debasing  system  kept  in  force  by  a 
semi-intelligent  class  of  selfish  brutes,  who  are  crafty 
enough  to  gain  control  of  others  by  teaching  the 
cruel  and  savage  doctrine  known  as  the  "survival  of 
the  fittest."  I  have  nothing  but  a  feeling  of  com 
passion  and  sorrow  for  those  abject  creatures  who 
mistreated  me  when  I  was  sick,  knowing  that  they, 
as  well  as  those  whom  they  mistreated,  were  but  the 
victims  of  this  pernicious  financial  system  under 
which  we  exist. 

In  the  desperate  struggle  for  a  mere  existence, 
most  men  and  women  are  forced  into  employment 
for  which  they  are  entirely  unfitted,  and  conse- 


144  BORNAGAIN 

quently  take  no  other  interest  in  their  work  than 
that  of  receiving  their  weekly  or  monthly  stipend. 
This  fact  was  thoroughly  demonstrated  to  me  by  the 
action  of  several  nurses  who  appeared  to  look  upon 
their  work  as  tasks  to  be  executed  mechanically, 
instead  of  duties  to  be  performed  with  pleasure. 
Then  again,  others  who  really  preferred  the  work 
were  either  kept  away  from  it  entirely,  or  else  made 
dull,  peevish  and  irritable  by  the  great  number  of 
hours  they  were  forced  to  be  on  duty  each  day,  thus 
turning  what  should  have  been  pleasant  employ 
ment  into  a  drudgery.  And  like  the  nurses,  so  were 
the  orderlies;  their  daily  work  hours  were  so  long 
and  their  pay  so  small  that  only  the  least  intelligent 
and  most  stupid  moral  idiots  could  be  secured  to 
take  positions  that  should  be  filled  by  men  of  the 
very  highest  intelligence,  character  and  sympathy. 

The  physicians  themselves  I  found  to  be  inexper 
ienced  youths,  generally  masquerading  under  a  set 
of  whiskers,  which  some  people  are  foolish  enough 
to  mistake  for  brains  and  ability.  Coming  direct 
from  the  medical  colleges,  they  accepted  these  posi 
tions  in  order  to  gain  some  practical  experience  at 
the  expense  of  the  lives  of  the  hospital  patients. 

The  bricklayer,  who  devotes  his  life  to  the  honor 
able  work  of  building  the  edifice;  the  hod  carrier, 
who  gives  his  best  services  to  the  community  in  an 
equally  honorable  employment;  the  locomotive 
engineer,  who  safely  carries  from  city  to  city  a  train 
load  of  human  beings  each  day  for  many  years,  are 
only  fit  to  be  practiced  upon  by  inexperienced  phy 
sicians,  and  abused  by  irritable  nurses  and  cruel 
orderlies,  if  they  are  finally  overcome  by  sickness 
and  enter  a  charity  hospital  for  treatment. 


BORN     AGAIN  145 

For  several  days  I  lay  upon  my  little  ward  cot: 
in  the  Ruff  Hospital,  with  my  life  hanging  in  the 
balance,  and  obliged  to  accept  for  succor  the  abuse 
and  mistreatment  of  an  inferior  house  staff.  And 
worse  still,  I  had  to  be  an  eye  witness  to  cruelties 
imposed  upon  other  and  less  fortunate  sufferers  than 
myself.  I  feel  sure  that  many  a  poor  fellow  that  I 
saw  carried  away  upon  a  stretcher,  a  lifeless  corpse, 
had  given  up  all  hope  of  recovery  and  died,  for  the 
want  of  a  few  cheering  words  and  kindly  sympathy 
from  some  one.  instead  of  the  constant  abuse  and 
brutality  he  was  subjected  to. 

I  fully  believe  that  I  myself  must  have  inevitably 
succumbed  to  my  pitiless  treatment,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  fact  that  the  young  girl,  Arietta,  visited  me 
each  day  for  a  half  hour,  bestowing  upon  me  a  tender 
sympathy,  and  manifesting  the  greatest  concern  for 
my  welfare  and  recovery. 

I  was  placed  in  a  most  peculiar  position.  I  could 
get  no  information  whatsoever  from  the  doctors, 
nurses,  or  orderlies,  and  even  Arietta  said  very  little, 
and  cautioned  me  against  talking  or  exciting  myself 
in  any  manner.  I  learned  enough,  however,  to  know 
that  twenty-one  years  had  actually  elapsed  since  my 
wonderful  experience  with  Arietta  of  Sageland,  and 
felt  convinced  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  beautiful 
young  girl,  who  took  such  an  interest  in  my  welfare, 
was  impelled  by  the  same  soul  as  my  noble  instruc 
tress  in  Natural  Law.  But  I  was  intensely  mystified 
and  unable  to  conceive  what  had  become  of  the  time 
between  the  going  of  the  one  and  the  coming  of  the 
other  Arietta. 

Twenty-one  years  had  been  swallowed  up  as  com 
pletely  as  if  they  had  never  been.  Nearly  one-half 


146  BORN     AGAIN 

of  my  life  had  passed  away,  of  which  I  could  give 
absolutely  no  account.  A  look  into  the  mirror  was 
a  convincing  proof  of  this  fact,  for  therein  I  saw  a 
white-haired  and  premature  old  man,  with  a  thin, 
haggard  and  drawn  countenance,  which  plainly 
showed  the  results  of  having  lived  a  life  of  hardship, 
and  almost  unrecognizable  as  my  own  face.  My 
heavy  black  mustache  was  gone,  and  in  its  place 
nothing  but  white  stubble  remained.  The  more  I 
endeavored  to  reach  some  tangible  solution  of  the 
mystery,  the  more  confused  I  became.  According  to 
the  girl,  Arietta's  story,  I  had  been  introduced  to 
her  at  a  reception  in  Paris  three  years  previously, 
had  apparently  fallen  desperately  in  love  with  her, 
and  made  myself  obnoxious  by  following  her  every 
where  she  went  for  several  months.  But  as  neither 
she  nor  her  parents  liked  me,  I  was  finally  eluded, 
and  had  not  been  seen  for  over  two  years.  According 
to  her  account,  I  was  generally  looked  upon  as  a  rich 
gentleman  of  leisure  and  bad  habits,  who  did 
nothing  but  travel  and  spend  money  recklessly.  This 
being  the  case,  the  foremost  questions  of  my  mind 
were:  Where  had  I  gotten  the  money  to  spend  so 
extravagantly?  Had  I  lived  those  twenty-one  years 
as  a  rational  being,  earning  and  accumulating  wealth 
and  still  not  knowing  anything  about  it?  Arietta  of 
Sageland  had  told  me  that  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  a  freak  of  nature,  and  that  everything  worked 
according  to  Natural  Law,  but  my  case  certainly 
seemed  to  be  an  exception  to  the  general  run  of 
things.  What  would  be  the  final  outcome  of  my 
mysterious  career,  was  a  question  to  be  answered 
that  was  entirely  beyond  the  limits  of  my  imagina 
tion.  It  gave  me  a  severe  pain  in  the  head  to  con- 


BORNAGAIN  147 

template  beyond  the  surface  of  the  subject,  and  I 
finally  allowed  the  whole  matter  to  slip  from  my 
attention  and  bent  my  efforts  toward  recovery  from 
the  effects  of  my  physical  ailments. 

One  day  Arietta  said  to  me  in  as  kindly  a  manner 
as  possible:  "Mr.  Convert,  the  doctor  informs  me 
that  the  reason  you  do  not  get  well  is  because  you 
lack  the  will  power  to  do  so." 

"Will  power,"  exclaimed  I,  "my  dear  sweet  girl, 
that  is  all  I  have  left.  It  is  the  only  force  that  is  keep 
ing  me  alive  in  the  face  of  the  cruelest  treatment 
man  could  possibly  receive  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow 
beings.  Without  will  power  I  should  have  been 
killed  long  ago  by  these  people,  but  through  that 
agency  alone  I  have  been  enabled  to  defy  death  and 
I  promise  you  that  I  shall  get  well  in  spite  of  them." 

"Why,  Mr.  Convert,  how  can  you  talk  so  harshly 
against  these  kind  people?  I  am  sure  they  are  doing 
everything  within  their  power  to  make  you  well." 

"You  think  so  because  you  know  nothing  of  the 
case,"  answered  I.  "You  simply  visit  this  place  for 
a  half  hour  each  day,  at  a  time  that  everything  is 
moving  along  smoothly,  and  merely  get  a  surface 
view  of  matters.  It  is  my  earnest  hope  that  you  may 
never  get  a  practical  insight  into  these  things  by 
being  placed  in  the  same  position  as  myself  or  these 
other  poor  fellows  all  around  me.  If  all  the  poor 
unfortunates  I  have  seen  carried  out  of  this  ward, 
corpses,  have  died  for  want  of  the  same  kind  of  will 
power  I  require,  then  all  I  can  say  is  that  the  doctors 
here  should  be  held  responsible  for  a  great  many 
cases  of  actual  murder." 

"Why,  Mr.  Convert,  what  do  you  mean  by  talking 
in  this  way?"  inquired  she. 


148  BORNAGAIN 

"Just  this,"  replied  I,  "these  doctors  are  treating 
me  for  the  wrong  ailment.  I  am  suffering  no  more 
from  the  effects  of  typhoid  fever  than  you  are,  but 
still  these  doctors  are  trying  to  cure  me  of  a  malady 
which  does  not  exist.  Since  recovering  my  memory 
I  have  observed  that  the  many  typhoid  patients  all 
around  me  have  been  bathed  from  five  to  ten  times 
daily,  while  my  fever  rises  to  a  point  which  necessi 
tates  an  ice  bath  to  reduce  it  but  once  each  day,  and 
always  at  the  same  hour,  five  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon.  In  any  part  of  the  world  where  malaria  is 
prevalent  these  symptoms  indicate  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  chills  and  fever  and  should  be  cured  within 
a  day  or  two  by  a  few  doses  of  quinine.  I  have  ex 
plained  this  to  the  doctors  several  times,  but  with 
a  wisdom  born  of  book  learning  they  have  con 
temptuously  disregarded  my  advice  and  still  con 
tinue  to  treat  me  for  enteric  fever,  and  then  lay  the 
blame  upon  me  for  not  getting  well.  Do  not  doubt 
me,  my  dear  girl,  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about. 
Up  to  a  few  days  ago  my  memory  was  obscured,  but 
now  I  am  in  my  right  senses  and  fully  capable  of 
using  all  of  my  reasoning  faculties  to  their  fullest 
extent.  Some  day  I  shall  explain  many  strange  things 
to  you,  of  which  you  know  nothing.  But  now  I  must 
devote  all  of  my  thoughts  and  forces  toward  regain 
ing  my  former  physical  strength,  and  likewise  in 
crease  my  moral  and  mental  vigor  for  a  future  great 
work." 

Arietta  said  no  more  at  that  time,  but  to  my  great 
surprise,  the  next  day  I  was  transferred  from  the 
charity  ward  to  a  paid  private  room  in  another  part 
of  the  hospital.  The  furnishings  of  this  room  were 
of  the  most  luxurious  description,  and  the  nurse 


BORNAGAIN  149 

informed  me  that  it  was  the  very  best  and  highest 
priced  apartment  in  the  building.  I  afterwards 
learned  that  the  cost  of  renting  this  room,  including 
attendance,  was  one  hundred  dollars  per  week. 
Arietta  had  secured  it  for  me. 

It  was  really  remarkable  how  quickly  the  value  of 
my  life  increased  in  the  eyes  of  those  hospital  attend 
ants,  by  the  expenditure  of  a  little  money.  From  a 
worthless  proletariat  I  was  suddenly  transformed 
into  a  man  of  great  importance.  There  were  two 
private  nurses  to  wait  on  me,  and  they  moved  with 
the  celerity  of  antelopes  in  response  to  my  slightest 
bidding.  They  appeared  to  be  bubbling  over  with 
kindness  and  attention,  and  seemed  to  anticipate  my 
every  want.  The  orderlies  treated  me  as  if  I  were 
the  crowned  ruler  of  the  universe,  while  the  doctors 
displayed  an  unnatural  politeness  that  was  almost 
amusing.  I  found  out  later  that  Arietta  was  to  fee 
them  all  handsomely  in  case  of  my  early  recovery. 
My  new  nurses  were  always  ready  to  answer  ques 
tions  and  give  me  any  information  I  wanted. 

Upon  arriving  at  my  new  and  sumptuous  quar 
ters,  one  of  the  nurses  informed  me  that  I  was  to 
receive  a  personal  visit  from  the  great  Doctor  Know- 
all  that  day.  She  further  informed  me  that  he  was 
considered  to  be  the  leading  physician  of  America 
and  that  he  never  made  a  professional  call  for  less 
than  one  thousand  dollars.  As  if  by  appointment 
Arietta  and  this  doctor  arrived  at  almost  the  same 
moment.  Several  of  the  house  physicians  also  fol 
lowed  him  into  the  room  anxious  to  learn  what 
diagnosis  this  celebrated  practitioner  would  make 
of  a  case  which  had  so  baffled  them.  He  lost  no  time 
in  unnecessary  talk  but  got  down  to  work  imme- 


150  BORN     AGAIN 

diately,  first  looking  over  the  charts  which  recorded 
my  condition  since  my  entrance  to  the  hospital. 
Then  he  examined  me  carefully,  with  various  in 
struments,  from  the  tip  of  my  head  to  the  sole  of 
my  foot,  meanwhile  asking  me  many  questions  on 
widely  different  subjects. 

At  last  he  turned  to  the  house  physicians  and 
said:  "It  is  my  opinion  that  when  this  man  first 
entered  the  hospital  he  was  merely  suffering  from  a 
simple  case  of  malaria  and  not  enteric  fever,  as  you 
have  diagnosed.  Since  then  his  kidneys  have  become 
affected,  and  he  now  suffers  from  both  malaria  and 
lumbago.  For  the  fever,  give  him  ten  grains  of 
quinine  three  times  a  day  for  two  days  and  gradually 
diminish  the  quantity  until  the  fever  abates  entirely. 
Begin  to  feed  him  after  the  second  day.  For  the  lum 
bago,  give  him  at  least  two  quarts  of  lithia  water  to 
drink  each  day.  Now  as  to  the  man's  mental  calibre, 
I  find  him  perfectly  sane  and  normal.  But  owing  to 
a  fracture  of  the  skull  sustained  by  him  some  time 
in  the  past,  the  two  sides  of  his  brain  have  become 
separated,  causing  two  distinct  personalities  to  exist. 
When  one  side  of  the  brain  works,  the  other  side 
remains  dormant,  and  vice  versa.  He  likewise  pos 
sesses  a  dual  memory,  and  is  only  capable  of  recol 
lecting  events  as  they  happen  separately  and  dis 
tinctly,  according  to  the  side  of  the  brain  which 
takes  the  impression.  Consequently,  this  man  may 
have  lived  a  perfectly  sane  life  during  the  past  twen 
ty-one  years,  of  which  he  claims  to  have  no  recollec 
tion.  He  may  at  any  time  in  the  future  resume  either 
personality  by  some  slight  mental  disturbance,  but 
his  two  personalities  will  always  remain  as  strangers 
to  each  other." 


BORN     AGAIN  151 

Having  thus  delivered  himself,  the  doctor,  who 
apparently  was  bent  upon  making  a  few  more 
thousand  dollar  calls  that  day,  hurriedly,  but  with 
great  dignity,  strode  out  of  the  room,  closely  fol 
lowed  by  the  other  physicians. 

After  they  had  departed,  and  we  were  alone, 
Arietta  pulled  a  chair  up  close  to  the  head  of  my  bed, 
and,  looking  steadily  and  earnestly  into  my  eyes, 
said:  "I  sincerely  hope,  Mr.  Convert,  that  you  may 
never  again  resume  your  other  personality." 


CHAPTER  25 

The  change  from  a  charity  patient  to  the  highest 
paid  patient  in  the  Ruff  Hospital  bore  magical 
results,  and  I  was  soon  on  the  road  to  recovery. 
The  quinine  knocked  all  the  fever  out  of  me  within 
two  days.  The  food  I  was  given  to  eat  after  fasting 
two  months,  began  to  strengthen  me  at  once  and 
within  ten  days  I  was  able  to  walk  about  the  room. 
Arietta  never  failed  to  visit  me  at  least  once  each 
day,  and  on  some  days,  two  and  three  times.  With 
each  visit  she  brought  flowers,  fruit,  or  some  little 
delicacy,  and  I  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  she 
was  taking  more  than  an  ordinary  interest  in  me. 
As  the  days  flew  by,  her  visits  became  more  frequent 
and  of  longer  duration,  until  finally  it  seemed  as  if 
she  almost  lived  in  my  apartment.  Many  times  she 
came  in  the  morning  and  remained  all  day,  taking 
her  lunch  with  me  in  the  meantime.  As  my  health 
improved,  and  I  became  more  vigorous  in  bodily 
strength,  those  same  feelings  of  admiration  and  love 
I  bore  for  the  first  Arietta  took  a  firm  hold  of  me 
until  it  seemed  that  she  was  a  part  of  my  very  life. 
Ah!  those  were  happy  and  heavenly  days  indeed. 
The  happiness  I  enjoyed  there,  was  of  that  kind 
which  can  only  exist  between  two  souls  fore-ordained 
and  mated  to  each  other  for  all  eternity. 


BORN     AGAIN  153 

As  the  time  went  by — all  too  rapidly — we  had 
much  to  talk  about.  Arietta  described  the  many 
progressive  strides  made  by  science  and  invention 
during  the  twenty-one  years  in  which  my  mind  was 
a  blank,  and  I  told  her  hair-raising  stories  of  my 
early  travels  and  adventures  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
We  said  very  little  regarding  my  other  personality. 
That  subject  appeared  distasteful,  and  caused  her 
to  shudder  whenever  it  was  brought  up.  She  seemed 
to  think  that  in  my  other  character  I  was  all  that 
was  low,  mean  and  contemptible,  while  she  openly 
avowed  that  my  present  self  was  noble,  honorable, 
and  manly. 

There  was  one  hitch,  however,  which  seemed  to 
take  root  and  stand  threateningly  in  the  path  of 
absolute  harmony  between  us,  and  that  was  my 
belief  in  Natural  Law.  She  refused  to  believe  the 
story  I  told  her  of  the  wonderful  Sagewoman  of 
whom  she  was  the  re-incarnation,  claiming  that  it 
was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  fancy  of  my  dis 
ordered  brain.  She  also  seemed  greatly  displeased 
when  I  informed  her  that  it  was  my  intention  to  go 
out  into  the  world  and  teach  the  principles  of  Nat 
ural  Law. 

It  pained  her  to  think  that  I  would  talk  against 
the  great  financial  masters  of  civilization  and  ques 
tion  their  so-called  philanthropic  deeds.  Her  faith 
was  so  strong  and  her  nature  so  gentle  that  I  re 
frained  from  discussing  the  subject  in  any  form, 
after  I  found  how  much  she  grieved  over  it.  So  I 
said  no  more  about  my  experience  with  the  divine 
Sagewoman  and  my  promise  to  follow  her  instruc 
tions  during  the  remainder  of  my  natural  life,  but 


154  BORN     AGAIN 

confined  my  conversation  to  other  subjects,  and  to 
the  full  enjoyment  of  her  daily  companionship  dur 
ing  my  period  of  convalescence. 

Day  by  day  my  weight  and  strength  increased, 
until  at  last  the  time  arrived  for  me  to  quit  the 
hospital  and  go  into  the  outer  world.  I  had  made 
no  plans  as  to  what  I  should  do  when  thrown  upon 
my  own  resources,  but  felt  confident  that  once  well 
and  strong  I  should  find  plenty  of  work  to  do  with 
both  my  hands  and  brain.  Arietta,  who  appeared  to 
have  an  unlimited  bank  account,  was  generously 
supplying  me  with  every  comfort  and  luxury  that 
money  could  purchase,  notwithstanding  my  earnest 
protests  against  it.  The  tailor  had  visited  me,  taken 
my  measure,  and  returned  a  fine  black  frock  suit  of 
clothes.  The  hatter  had  furnished  a  silk  tile,  the 
shoemaker,  shoes,  and  the  haberdasher  all  the  other 
articles  necessary  to  complete  my  wearing  apparel 
in  the  most  up-to-date  style.  The  barber,  the  mani 
curists,  and  even  the  chiropodist  had  visited  me  and 
taken  extra  pains  in  polishing  me  off. 

"You  are  the  handsomest  old  gentleman  in  New 
York,"  said  Arietta,  girlishly,  as  she  saw  me  for  the 
first  time  dressed  in  street  clothes,  and  all  ready  to 
take  my  departure.  "But  you  do  not  look  so  old, 
after  all,"  she  added  reflectively,  "  if  it  were  not  for 
your  white  hair  you  might  pass  for  a  man  of  thirty- 
five.  My!  what  a  great  big  fellow  you  are!  Really,  I 
am  afraid  that  all  of  the  women  at  the  Waldoria  will 
become  infatuated  with  you  at  first  sight,"  continued 
she,  critically  looking  me  over  from  head  to  foot. 

"And  what  do  you  mean  by  the  Waldoria?" 
inquired  I. 


BORN     AGAIN  155 

"The  Waldoria  Hotel,"  answered  she.  "I  have 
arranged  for  you  to  live  there  until  you  have 
thoroughly  recuperated  and  regained  your  full 
strength — there,  now,  no  more  objections,  or  I  shall 
become  angry.  At  present,  you  are  in  my  charge, 
and  must  do  just  what  I  tell  you." 

"Notwithstanding  I  consider  the  task  of  follow 
ing  your  instructions  a  most  pleasant  one,"  replied 
I,  "still  it  seems  to  me  that  I  am  not  doing  exactly 
right  in  accepting  your  most  generous  offerings,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  I  shall  never  be  able  to  repay 
you  for  all  you  have  done." 

"I  have  been  amply  repaid  already,"  said  Arietta, 
"by  the  miraculous  transformation  of  a  very  bad 
and  offensive  man  whom  I  did  not  like,  into  a 
thoroughly  good  one  whom  I  do  like.  So  say  no 
more  about  the  matter,  for  the  present  at  least.  After 
you  have  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
terrible  ordeal  through  which  you  have  just  passed, 
then  I  shall  consider  any  protests  you  may  have  to 
offer,  but  not  before.  I  have  ordered  the  carriage 
to  come  for  you  at  noon,  and  have  given  instructions 
to  have  you  taken  to  the  hotel.  When  you  arrive 
there,  you  will  go  to  the  head  clerk's  desk  and  hand 
him  your  card."  Here  she  gave  me  a  small  package 
of  visiting  cards  on  which  was  inscribed  "John 
Convert."  "You  will  then  ask  to  be  shown  to  your 
apartments,  which  have  been  settled  for  in  advance 
for  one  year,  after  which  make  yourself  as  comfort 
able  as  possible  in  the  place.  Do  not  mention  your 
business  in  any  way  as  it  pertains  to  you  and  me.  It 
will  be  impossible  for  me  to  see  you  as  often  as  I 
should  like,  but  whenever  it  is  convenient  I  shall 


156  BORN     AGAIN 

have  you  come  and  see  me.  I  am  stopping  at  a 
different  hotel  in  another  part  of  the  city,  and  for 
reasons  best  known  to  myself,  I  shall  continue  to 
withhold  my  last  name  from  you,  as  you  seem  to 
have  no  recollection  of  it  whatever,  and  it  will  also 
be  necessary  for  the  present  to  meet  you  in  some  out- 
of-the-way  place,  which  I  will  designate  later. 
Perhaps  some  day  you  will  learn  who  I  am,  and  all 
about  me,  but  until  I  am  ready  to  furnish  you  with 
further  information  concerning  my  identity,  I  shall 
rely  upon  your  honor  as  a  man  not  to  undertake,  by 
any  methods  whatsoever,  to  discover  who  I  am,  or 
where  I  reside." 

With  this  mysterious  admonition  and  a  tender 
farewell,  Arietta  left  me  in  the  depth  of  meditation 
as  to  what  strange  occurrence  nature's  storehouse 
might  still  contain  for  me,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
I  was  notified  that  the  carriage  was  in  waiting. 


CHAPTER  26 

It  would  be  almost  impossible  to  record  my  im 
pressions  of  the  different  things  that  came  to  my 
notice  for  the  first  time  in  twenty-one  years,  as  I 
was  driven  from  the  hospital  to  the  hotel. 

While  great  progress  had  taken  place  in  many 
lines  during  that  time,  still  after  having  had  such  a 
realistic  mental  picture  of  the  wonders  of  Sage- 
land  stamped  upon  my  mind,  the  new  inventions, 
such  as  trolley  cars,  automobiles,  etc.,  which  I  had 
never  seen  before,  seemed  crude  and  insignificant. 

As  I  passed  from  street  to  street  I  could  not  fail 
to  observe  the  great  disorder  that  prevailed  every 
where,  in  the  foremost  city  of  the  world.  In  the 
first  place,  I  was  struck  by  the  inharmonious  and 
ragged  appearance  of  the  buildings.  Here  was  a 
tall  skyscraper  of  nice  white  marble  thirty  stories 
high,  towering  up  into  the  clouds  like  a  great  bean 
pole,  while  on  one  side  of  it  was  a  squatty  little  two- 
story  red  brick  structure,  and  on  the  other  side  a  six- 
story  brown  stone  building,  the  whole  forming  a 
most  irregular  and  distracting  appearance  to  the  eye. 
In  other  places,  right  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and 
adjoining  well-designed  buildings,  were  vacant  lots 
inclosed  by  high  ugly  board  fences,  on  which  were 
painted  fantastic  and  ridiculous  advertisements. 

These  defects,  of  course,  could  only  be  thoroughly 
remedied  by  putting  into  force  the  logical  economic 


158  BORN     AGAIN 

principle  of  State  ownership  of  all  land  and  build 
ings,  instead  of  permitting  the  individual  to  do  as 
he  pleased  with  property  made  valuable  by  the 
community. 

The  disarrangement  of  the  buildings,  however, 
merely  typified  the  incongruous  and  illogical  dis 
organization  of  the  people  themselves.  For  instance, 
here  was  a  big,  strong,  well-fed  fashionably  groomed 
young  man,  walking  along  the  street,  carrying  no 
heavier  burden  than  a  light  walking  stick,  while 
just  beside  him  was  a  half-starved  old  woman,  almost 
bent  double  under  the  weight  of  a  large  basket  of 
clothes  she  had  washed  for  somebody  else. 

Then  again,  here  were  two  big,  strong  men, 
perched  upon  the  driver's  seat  of  a  magnificent 
carriage,  drawn  by  two  great  powerful  horses,  and 
conveying  about  the  city  for  recreation  a  dyspeptic 
lap-dog,  while  trudging  along  the  gutter  in  search  of 
work  or  something  to  eat  was  a  weak,  ill-fed,  broken- 
down  old  man,  who  had,  no  doubt,  given  the  best 
years  of  his  life  to  the  actual  labor  which  had  in 
creased  the  wealth  of  the  community. 

Along  the  streets  everywhere  were  dirty  young 
boys  of  tender  age,  who  should  have  been  at  school 
or  play,  rushing  madly  in  every  direction,  trying  to 
earn  a  few  cents  by  the  sale  of  newspapers,  polishing 
shoes,  and  acting  as  chore  boys. 

Little  brass  bands  were  scattered  about  here  and 
there,  braying  forth  inharmoniously,  and  organ 
grinders  and  street  piano  players  were  rending  the 
air  with  bad  music  in  return  for  a  few  pennies, 
thrown  to  them  by  passing  pedestrians. 


BORN    AGAIN  159 

Venders  of  fruit,  shoe-strings,  collar-buttons, 
and  other  light  merchandise  were  scattered  along 
the  sidewalks  and  gutters,  trying  to  earn  a  living  by 
the  sale  of  their  wares,  while  beggars  occasionally 
stopped  the  more  fortunate  members  of  society  with 
pathetic  importunities  for  money  to  buy  bread. 

Cabmen  and  horses  were  wasting  the  public 
power  by  standing  idly  about  waiting  for  engage 
ments,  or  else  driving  aimlessly  in  all  directions, 
searching  for  patronage. 

Wagons  of  every  description  were  rushing  about 
hither  and  thither  in  a  wretchedly  unsystematic 
method  of  retail  delivery,  utilizing  in  many  cases 
the  labor  of  two  men  and  a  team  of  horses  to  carry 
a  small  package  several  miles  distant. 

Countless  little  retail  merchants,  with  an  incal 
culable  force  of  managers,  clerks,  book-keepers, 
errand  boys,  etc.,  were  fairly  throwing  away  the 
public  power  in  enormous  quantities  through  the 
brainless  struggle  of  competitive  trade. 

All  these  imperfections  could  be  extirpated  by 
the  abolition  of  the  money  system,  thought  I,  as' 
the  carriage  came  to  a  standstill  in  front  of  a  great 
brown  stone  edifice,  and  the  driver  announced  that 
we  had  reached  our  destination.  The  door  of  the 
carriage  was  swung  open  by  a  uniformed  employee, 
and,  alighting  therefrom,  I  was  immediately  ushered 
into  the  main  office  of  the  leading  institution  of  its 
kind  in  the  World — the  Waldoria  Hotel. 

It  was  quite  a  new  sensation  for  me  to  enter  this 
great  hostelry  as  a  guest,  having  spent  the  fore  part 
of  my  life  as  a  rough  adventurer  who  had  never 
known  the  meaning  of  luxury  or  refinement.  But 


160  BORN     AGAIN 

still,  somehow  or  other,  it  always  seemed  natural 
for  me  to  carry  myself  properly  in  whatever  posi 
tion  I  happened  to  be  placed,  and  on  this  occasion 
I  felt  composed  and  at  my  ease  as  I  entered  and 
made  known  my  identity  to  the  head  clerk. 

This  pompous  servant  showed  extraordinary 
affability  and  politeness  toward  me,  which  caused 
me  to  wonder  how  I  should  have  been  received  by 
him  had  I  been  a  shoemaker,  a  carpenter,  or  some 
other  honest  son  of  toil,  whose  labor  increases  the 
wealth  of  the  world,  instead  of  a  moneyed  gentle 
man  of  leisure  and  extravagance,  as  he  evidently 
supposed  me  to  be. 

"Your  secretary  has  deposited  five  thousand 
dollars  to  your  credit  here,  Mr.  Convert,"  said  he, 
handing  me  a  blank  cheque  book,  "so  if  you  will 
kindly  give  me  your  signature  for  certification,  you 
can  then  draw  upon  that  amount  as  you  see  fit." 

In  astonishment  I  was  about  to  inform  him  that 
I  had  no  secretary,  and  that  the  money  was  not 
mine,  when  it  occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  Arietta, 
or  her  agent,  if  she  had  one,  must  have  pretended 
to  be  my  secretary.  So  I  said  nothing  and  did  as 
requested. 

Upon  being  shown  to  my  apartments,  a  hand 
somely  furnished  suite  of  two  rooms  and  a  bath, 
upon  the  tenth  floor,  I  was  further  amazed  to  find 
therein  a  trunk,  two  dress-suit  cases,  a  traveling  bag, 
and  six  suits  of  fine  clothes,  made  in  different  styles, 
from  an  evening  dress  to  a  sack  business  suit.  And 
the  bedstead,  tables  and  bureaus  were  literally 
covered  with  articles,  such  as  a  bath-robe,  pajamas, 
underwear,  shirts,  collars,  cuffs,  gloves,  hats,  shoes, 


BORN     AGAIN  161 

etc.,  all  brand  new  and  marked  "John  Convert." 
Upon  the  dressing  case  was  a  small  jewel  box,  con 
taining  several  kinds  of  gold  cuff  buttons,  diamond 
scarf  pins,  and  a  solid  gold  watch,  on  the  inside  of 
which  was  inscribed,  "From  Arietta  to  John." 

It  took  some  time  for  me  to  get  over  the  wonder 
ment  into  which  I  was  plunged  at  the  sight  of  these 
things,  and  the  contemplation  of  how  far  Arietta 
intended  going  before  ceasing  her  benevolent  acts 
towards  me,  but  after  spending  an  hour  or  two  in 
becoming  accustomed  to  my  surroundings  and  put 
ting  the  various  articles  away  into  the  bureaus  and 
wardrobes,  I  decided  to  make  a  general  survey  of 
the  entire  hotel  premises. 

I  learned  that  the  Waldoria  Hotel  was  thirty 
stories  high,  and  covered  an  entire  block  in  the 
most  fashionable  district  in  New  York  City.  In 
many  ways  it  resembled  a  small  city  in  itself,  con 
taining  a  bank,  theatre,  music  hall,  photograph 
gallery,  art  studio,  gymnasium,  laundry,  electric 
plant,  Turkish  baths,  tonsorial  apartments,  brok 
ers'  offices,  library,  and  various  ball-rooms,  besides 
four  different  restaurants,  two  cafes,  and  several  re 
ception  and  smoking  rooms  for  the  use  of  its  patrons. 

The  entire  roof  of  the  building  was  utilized  as  a 
promenade  and  summer  garden  for  musical  enter 
tainments. 

The  hotel  could  accommodate  about  three  thou 
sand  guests,  who  occupied  apartments,  the  rentals 
of  which  cost  from  three  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  per  day.  About  two  thousand  employees 
were  necessary  to  keep  the  establishment  in  good 
running  order.  Each  floor  had  a  separate  clerk 


162  BORN     AGAIN 

and  corps  of  attendants,  and  nobody  could  gain 
admission  to  any  of  the  apartment  floors  except  the 
occupants  and  their  guests. 

All  of  the  apartments  of  the  hotel,  from  the 
magnificent  "Royal  Suite"  to  the  single  bedrooms 
of  the  transients,  were  furnished  in  the  most  luxuri 
ous  manner  possible.  Costly  draperies,  priceless 
paintings,  and  exquisite  furnishings  of  every  descrip 
tion,  adorned  the  drawing-rooms,  ball-rooms,  foyers 
and  restaurants.  Statues  of  ancient  personages  orna 
mented  the  different  hallways,  while  the  carved 
marble  and  woodwork  seen  everywhere  showed 
splendid  workmanship.  Sweet  strains  of  music 
from  the  orchestras  stationed  in  different  balconies 
could  be  heard  in  most  any  part  of  the  building. 

Seated  on  either  side  of  the  long,  commodious 
corridors,  on  lounges  overhung  by  palms  and 
tropical  plants  of  various  descriptions,  were  men 
and  women  of  the  fashionable  set,  who  represented 
the  largest  portion  of  wealth  of  the  community. 

The  women  with  their  low-cut  gowns,  highly 
perfumed,  and  weighted  down  with  jewels  of  every 
kind,  formed  a  brilliant  spectacle  that  was  bewitch 
ing  and  bewildering  to  behold.  They  vied  with 
one  another  in  the  display  of  their  gorgeous  gowns 
and  jewels,  with  the  desire  to  impress  upon  each 
other  thereby  the  wealth  they  possessed  and  the 
position  they  held  in  society.  In  fact,  wealth  seemed 
to  be  the  predominant  feature  of  their  whole 
existence. 

Beautiful  young  women  scarcely  out  of  their 
teens,  could  be  seen  paying  all  of  their  attentions  to 
decrepit,  bald-headed  old  men  of  apparent  opulence, 
while  on  the  other  hand,  young  and  athletic  look- 


BORN    AGAIN  163 

ing  men  were  courting  women  old  enough  to  be 
their  grandmothers.  In  either  case,  the  young  were 
quite  willing  to  sell  their  persons  for  wealth.  These 
unnatural  facts  plainly  demonstrated  to  what  depths 
the  human  being,  will  go  in  an  endeavor  to  secure 
money,  or  the  power  derived  therefrom. 

In  the  restaurants,  the  most  criminal  extravagance 
was  practiced  by  these  moneyed  people,  in  many 
cases  the  costly  viands  and  high-priced  wines  ordered 
being  only  partly  consumed,  and  the  remainder  left 
to  be  thrown  into  the  waste  barrel.  In  fact,  it  ap 
peared  that  the  individual's  importance  was  gauged 
by  the  amount  of  money  he  could  spend,  and  men 
who  no  doubt  in  a  great  many  cases  squeezed  the 
pennies  from  the  poor  laboring  classes  through  theii 
different  financial  methods  of  confiscation,  thought 
nothing  of  spending  from  five  to  fifty  dollars  for  a 
single  meal. 

In  short,  I  found  the  Waldoria  Hotel  to  be  a  sort 
of  a  heavenly  place,  infested  principally  by  hellish 
beings — a  welcome  nest  for  people  with  money  but 
a  very  unwelcome  place  for  persons  who  had  none. 
It  made  absolutely  no  difference  how  people  got 
their  money  as  long  as  they  had  it. 

The  stone  masons,  iron-workers,  carpenters, 
painters,  plumbers  and  other  laborers  who  built  the 
beautiful  edifice  were  not  allowed  inside  of  it.  The 
furniture  makers,  carpet  and  tapestry  weavers,  inte 
rior  decorators,  etc.,  through  whose  skill  the  hotel 
was  made  grand,  were  not  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
magnificence  of  their  own  creation.  But  owing  to 
the  stupid  money  system,  which  these  laborers  them 
selves  help  to  keep  in  force,  the  results  of  their  com- 


164  BORN     AGAIN 

bined  efforts  were  either  usurped  by  an  unproduc 
tive  class  fortunate  enough  to  be  born  rich,  or  those 
shrewd  enough  to  accumulate  money,  such  as  trust 
managers,  bankers,  real  estate  speculators,  stock 
jobbers,  and  brokers,  gamblers,  burglars,  money 
loan  swindlers. 


CHAPTER  27 

In  looking  over  the  daily  newspapers  the  next 
morning  my  attention  was  forcefully  called  to  the 
fact  that  fully  nine-tenths  of  the  news  columns  was 
given  to  the  promulgation  of  crime  in  all  its  various 
forms,  of  which  ninety  per  cent,  could  be  directly 
traced  to  the  money  evil,  of  which  the  system  of 
individual  accumulation  must  be  held  responsible. 
For  the  benefit  of  future  generations  who  may  desire 
information  that  will  give  them  an  exact  idea  of  the 
real  value  of  their  civilized  ancestors,  I  herewith 
reproduce  a  few  extracts  from  the  newspapers,  word 
for  word,  just  as  the  despatches  were  published. 

"Albany,  N.  Y.,  Special  Despatch:  It  is  reported 
on  high  authority  that  State  Senator  Grab  has  re 
ceived  a  half  million  dollars,  to  be  distributed 
among  the  various  senators  and  assemblymen,  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  their  votes  in  exchange  for 
certain  legislative  laws  that  will  favor  the  Gas  Trust 
in  its  iniquitous  squeeze  of  the  people  for  higher 
rates.  Several  senators  have  openly  threatened  to 
vote  against  these  measures,  claiming  that  Senator 
Grab  is  acting  the  hog  and  will  not  divide  the  booty 
fairly  among  them." 

"Fall  River,  Mass.:  Ten  thousand  workingmen 
and  women  have  been  thrown  out  of  employment 
by  the  mills  of  this  city,  owing  to  the  unprecedented 


166  BORN     AGAIN 

rise  in  the  price  of  cotton,  caused  by  the  recent 
manipulations  of  that  famous  Wall  Street  speculator, 
Dan  Bull,  who  by  forcing  up  the  prices  in  the  specu 
lative  market  has  added  millions  to  his  own  bank 
account  during  the  past  few  weeks.  The  mills  have 
been  shut  down  indefinitely  and  starvation  is  now 
facing  thousands  of  men,  women  and  children  as  a 
consequence." 

"Brooklyn,  N.  Y.:  The  marriage  ceremony  be 
tween  the  Right  Reverend  Q.  T.  Getrich,  Bishop 
of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  E.  Z.  Money  was  solemnized 
here  today  with  great  pomp,  and  attended  by  some 
of  the  very  wealthiest  and  most  fashionable  people 
of  the  country.  It  has  been  suggested  by  some  un 
godly  reprobate  that  perhaps  the  young  and  hand 
some  bishop  married  the  fat  and  aged  widow  to  gain 
possession  of  her  millions,  but  this  sacrilegious  im 
putation  is  furiously  resented  by  all  pious  church 
members." 

"Chicago,  111.:  Municipal  ownership  of  public 
utilities  seems  to  have  been  given  a  serious  setback 
by  the  very  costly  and  unsuccessful  experiment  this 
city  undertook  in  operating  its  own  electric  and 
water  plants  during  the  past  year.  It  appears  that 
city  officials  are  just  as  susceptible  to  the  charm  of 
money  as  private  corporations,  and  just  as  willing, 
by  corrupt  methods,  to  fleece  the  public  in  order  to 
obtain  it.  It  is  evident  that  as  long  as  there  is  money 
in  use  there  will  always  be  boodlers." 

"Baltimore,  Md.:  The  pure  food  inspectors  of 
this  city  after  having  made  an  inspection  of  the  dif 
ferent  canned  goods,  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  at  least  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  same  is  adulter 
ated  and  that  the  public  is  being  slowly  poisoned  to 


BORN     AGAIN  167 

death.  The  greed  of  the  various  concerns  which 
produce  these  things  for  bigger  profits,  causes  them 
to  use  cheap  chemicals  in  their  adulterative  methods 
in  place  of  higher  priced  and  genuine  substances. 
These  inspectors  make  the  astonishing  statement 
that  they  believe  all  foods  and  drinks  are  more  or 
less  adulterated  and  that  in  the  general  rush  for 
money  profits,  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  are 
actually  poisoning  each  other  by  slow  degrees." 

"St.  Louis,  Mo.:  An  epidemic  of  diphtheria  is 
raging  in  this  city  and  hundreds  of  children  are 
dying  daily  from  the  effects  of  its  ravages.  The 
deaths  in  most  cases  are  children  of  the  poorer  classes 
who  cannot  afford  to  pay  the  exorbitant  prices  lately 
put  upon  antitoxin  by  the  Medicine  Trust.  This 
trust,  which  controls  the  supply  of  antitoxin,  has 
increased  the  price  nearly  two  hundred  per  cent, 
during  the  past  year  at  different  intervals,  until  it 
has  now  become  absolutely  prohibitive  to  all  except 
the  wealthy.  Unless  there  is  something  done  imme 
diately  to  alleviate  this  condition  of  affairs,  the  lives 
of  thousands  of  young  children  will  be  blotted  out, 
which  might  otherwise  have  been  saved." 

"Kokomo,  Ind.:  An  awful  tragedy  took  place  in 
this  town  yesterday  when  Peter  Doles,  apparently 
driven  insane  from  poverty  andwantof  employment, 
killed  his  wife  and  five  children  bv  splitting  their 
heads  open  with  an  axe,  and  afterward  thrust  a  knife 
into  his  own  heart.  Doles  was  at  one  time  a  wealthy 
citizen  of  this  place,  but  speculation  was  the  cause 
of  his  downfall." 

"Philadelphia,  Pa.:  A  terrible  state  of  affairs  has 
been  brought  to  light  here  by  the  police  who  have 
discovered  that  a  regular  system  of  child  murder  has 


168  BORN     AGAIN 

been  in  practice  for  some  time  by  a  syndicate  of 
fiends  who  murder  children  for  the  insurance.  These 
fiends,  who  secured  their  victims  from  regularly 
operated  baby  farms  of  illegitimate  children,  would 
have  their  lives  insured  for  large  sums  and  then 
destroy  them  afterwards,  in  order  to  obtain  the  in 
surance  money." 

"Paterson,  N.  J.:  U.  R.  Dire  was  sentenced  to  be 
hung  today  for  the  murder  of  his  father.  Some  time 
ago,  young  Dire  obtained  information  that  his  mil 
lionaire  father  was  about  to  make  a  new  will,  and 
cut  him  off  without  money,  so  he  deliberately  en 
tered  into  a  cold-blooded  plan  with  his  father's 
secretary  to  murder  the  old  man  by  poison.  The 
secretary  afterward  turned  State's  evidence  and  upon 
his  testimony  the  young  man  was  convicted." 

"Reno,  Nev.:  This  town  was  the  scene  of  murder 
ous  outlawry  last  night  when  an  organized  band  of 
burglars  gained  entrance  to  a  local  bank,  and  blew 
up  the  vaults.  The  night  watchman  discovered  their 
presence,  and  raising  an  alarm  brought  the  police 
and  other  citizens  to  the  premises.  Then  occurred  a 
general  encounter  between  the  police  and  the  burg 
lars  in  which  over  a  hundred  shots  were  fired,  caus 
ing  the  death  of  three  policemen,  two  private  citi 
zens  and  four  of  the  burglars.  The  remainder  of  the 
desperadoes  jumped  on  their  horses  and  escaped 
with  the  money." 

"Boston,  Mass.:  Rev.  D.  D.  Sly,  the  eminent, 
clergyman  of  this  city,  announced  today  that  he  has 
received  a  call  from  the  Lord  to  take  up  his  work  in 
another  field.  He  will  leave  at  once  for  New  York 
City,  where  he  will  take  charge  of  a  fashionable  Fifth 
Avenue  pastorate.  Reverend  Sly's  salary  will  be 


BORN     AGAIN  169 

increased  from  two  thousand  five  hundred  to  five 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  through  the  change, 
which  once  more  brings  up  the  question  as  to  whe 
ther  the  Lord  was  ever  known  to  call  a  pastor  to  a 
new  field  at  a  lower  salary." 

"Buffalo,  N.  Y.:  A  case  brought  up  in  court  here 
today  shows  to  what  extent  the  extortionate  loan 
sharks  will  go  in  their  greed  for  money.  Itwasproved 
that  two  years  ago  O.  U.  Curr  loaned  Mrs.  Kate 
Poor,  a  washer-woman  with  three  small  children, 
the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  on  household  furniture.  A 
contract  was  entered  into,  whereby  the  widow  was 
to  pay  interest  at  the  rate  of  twenty  per  cent,  per 
month  until  the  principal  had  been  paid.  Mrs.  Poor 
stated  under  oath  that  she  has  already  paid  Curr,  in 
monthly  installments,  over  three  hundred  dollars 
and  that  she  is  still  indebted  to  him  for  the  original 
loan  of  fifty  dollars." 

"Scranton,  Pa.:  Trades  Unionism  is  receiving  a 
great  deal  of  public  censure  at  present  in  this  city, 
owing  to  the  recent  disclosure  made  against  Judas 
Pilate,  a  union  agent,  who  has  been  blackmailing 
different  contractors  for  several  years  past,  by  mak 
ing  them  pay  him  large  sums  of  money,  under 
threats  of  ordering  union  men  to  strike.  It  has  been 
proved  that  Pilate  has  secured  over  fifty  thousand 
dollars  by  this  method.  His  followers,  however,  still 
remain  loyal  to  him,  notwithstanding  he  sold  them 
out  many  times  and  brought  disrepute  upon  Trades 
Unionism." 

"Harrisburg.  Pa.:  The  various  manufacturers  of 
cigarettes  in  this  state  have  banded  together  to 
defeat  the  Anti-Cigarette  League  in  its  efforts  to 


170  BORN     AGAIN 

have  laws  passed  forbidding  the  sale  of  cigarettes 
to  children.  While  the  manufacturers  do  not  deny 
that  the  cigarette  is  wrecking  the  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  character  of  the  American  youth,  they 
contend  that  it  will  prove  detrimental  to  their  busi 
ness  interests,  and  thereby  cause  a  loss  of  many 
thousand  dollars  if  the  Anti-Cigarette  Law  is  put 
into  effect.  Reliable  statistics  for  the  past  three  years 
show  that  one  hundred  thousand  children  are  ruined 
annually  by  smoking  cigarettes." 

"Pittsburg,  Pa.:  The  Steel  Trust  has  made  a 
general  reduction  in  the  salaries  of  all  its  employees 
throughout  the  United  States,  which  will  decrease 
the  wages  of  the  worker  from  ten  to  twenty  per  cent., 
and  affecting  in  the  neighborhood  of  two  hundred 
thousand  men.  It  is  estimated  that  this  sweeping 
reduction  will  save  the  Steel  Trust  approximately 
twenty  millions  of  dollars  per  year.  Owing  to  the 
manipulations  of  the  Wall  Street  schemers,  this 
saving  becomes  necessary  to  keep  the  Trust  in  exist 
ence,  as  in  the  great  merger  of  the  several  different 
steel  companies,  the  actual  valuation  of  the  plants 
was  increased  one  hundred  times  over  in  watered 
stock,  so  that  it  not  only  becomes  necessary  for  those 
who  do  the  labor  to  pay  dividends  on  bona  fide  in 
vestments  of  the  capitalists,  but  to  pay  dividends  on 
watered  stock  criminally  increased  one  hundred  fold 
besides.  This  decrease  in  wages  will  cause  great 
suffering  among  the  laboring  classes,  for,  owing  to 
the  increased  cost  of  living  caused  by  the  raising  of 
prices  by  the  various  food  trusts,  it  is  almost  impos 
sible  for  the  ordinary  man  to  make  both  ends  meet. 
It  appears  to  all  thoughtful  students  of  political 
economy  that  the  object  of  those  in  control  of  the 


BORN     AGAIN  171 

money  markets  is  to  limit  the  supply  of  necessities 
of  life,  so  that  the  demand  for  them  will  force  prices 
up,  and,  by  decreasing  production,  will  cause  a 
superfluous  quantity  of  labor,  which,  in  turn,  will 
force  wages  down.  With  cheap  labor  to  produce, 
and  a  high  selling  price  for  the  production,  the  trust 
managers  and  other  financiers  have  easily  solved  the 
question  of  how  to  legally  confiscate  the  wealth  of 
the  world." 

"New  York  City:  A  great  war  is  now  being  waged 
between  the  rich  tenement  house  owners  and  their 
poor  tenants  on  the  East  Side,  which  promises  to 
end  in  lawlessness,  riots,  and  much  suffering  in  con 
sequence.  It  appears  that  the  owners  of  these  houses 
have  increased  the  rents  from  time  to  time  until  they 
are  now  beyond  the  reach  of  the  tenants'  ability  to 
pay.  At  least  three  thousand  of  these  occupants  have 
banded  together  to  fight  the  last  raise,  while  the 
landlords  have  also  combined  to  evict  them  unless 
they  comply  with  the  terms.  The  tenants,  who  are 
mostly  hard  working  laborers,  claim  that  it  is  utterly 
impossible  for  them  to  meet  the  extortionate  prices 
of  foods,  fuel,  gas,  oil,  and  rents,  now  being  forced 
upon  them  by  the  financiers  with  the  small  amount 
of  wages  that  they  receive  for  their  work  from  the 
industrialists,  and  if  they  are  evicted  from  their  pres 
ent  homes  it  is  a  problem  as  to  what  they  will  do  or 
where  they  will  go.  The  landlords  claim  that  is  none 
of  their  concern;  that  they  themselves  are  merely 
following  the  system  now  in  existence  of  getting  all 
they  can,  through  their  property  rights,  according 
to  the  law  of  supply  and  demand.  Some  of  them 
even  claim  that  these  tenants  are  nothing  more  than 
vermin,  anyway,  and  that  it  would  be  well  to  push 


172  BORN    AGAIN 

them  all  into  the  East  River  and  exterminate  them 
entirely." 

***** 

The  newspaper  articles,  which  I  have  reproduced, 
are  but  a  few  of  the  thousands  chronicled  daily  of 
the  terrible  crimes  which  take  place  in  all  parts  of 
civilized  world  over  the  individual  possession  of 
money,  or  its  equivalent. 

What  can  be  done  to  stop  such  a  savage,  barbarous 
civilization? 

This  question  can  be  answered  in  a  few  words. 
The  abolition  of  the  money  system.  The  eradication 
of  individual  accumulation.  The  substitution  of 
united  labor  and  honest  distribution.  The  adher 
ence  to  the  principles  of  Natural  Law. 

Had  the  people  of  the  Earth  understood  God's 
Natural  Laws  during  the  past  and  a  United  Labor 
Organization  been  established  instead  of  the  system 
of  individual  accumulation,  the  world  long  ere  this 
would  have  been  a  heavenly  abiding  place  for  the 
human  family,  instead  of  a  seething  furnace  of  petty 
quarrels,  murderous  fights,  and  selfish  strife  among 
all  of  the  inhabitants. 

Why  should  one  hog  have  more  to  eat  than 
another?  Why  should  one  man  have  more  luxuries 
and  privileges  than  another?  Why  should  the  man 
who  conceives  an  idea  receive  a  greater  reward  than 
he  who  puts  the  idea  into  execution?  Why  should 
the  man  who  works  with  his  brain  have  more  of  the 
sweets  of  life  than  he  who  works  with  his  hands? 
Why  should  the  man  who  lays  the  brick  have  more 
of  the  world's  goods  than  he  who  carries  the  brick 
and  mortar  to  him?  These  questions  do  not  apply 


BORN     AGAIN  173 

alone  to  the  capitalist,  but  also  to  the  laborer  as  well, 
and  as  long  as  the  laboring  classes  champion  the  cut 
throat  policy  of  grading  man's  allowance  according 
to  his  ability,  of  giving  more  to  one  than  another, 
owing  to  a  slight  difference  of  brain  capacity,  he 
should  not,  after  showing  his  own  greediness  in  this 
respect,  expect  the  capitalist  not  to  be  greedy  also. 
He  must  learn  that  all  men  should  have  equal  op 
portunities  and  benefits  from  the  whole  production 
of  united  labor.  As  long  as  money  exists,  so  long 
will  fights  and  quarrels  take  place  between  capital 
and  labor,  and  between  the  different  branches  of 
labor  as  well.  The  laborer  will  fight  the  capitalist 
until  he  in  turn  becomes  a  capitalist,  and  then  he  will 
turn  about  and  fight  the  laborer.  So  there  is  but 
one  reasonable  method  to  pursue  in  order  to  better 
the  conditions  on  earth,  and  to  eliminate  suffering 
and  crime  entirely,  and  that  method  is  to  strike  at 
the  very  root  of  the  cause,  and  abolish  money  and 
the  system  of  individual  accumulation. 


CHAPTER  28 

My  sojourn  at  the  Waldoria  Hotel  was  a  rather 
pleasant  one  in  many  ways.  I  enjoyed  the  luxury 
and  refinement  of  the  surroundings.  The  harmoni 
ous  music  of  the  orchestras  was  pleasant  to  listen  to, 
and  the  magnificent  paintings  and  beautiful  works 
of  art  were  pleasing  to  the  eye.  I  also  took  some 
pleasure  in  wearing  the  different  suits  of  fine  clothes 
with  which  I  had  been  supplied,  and  in  making  my 
own  person  appear  as  well  as  possible  in  the  eyes  of 
others.  I  even  enjoyed  entering  the  spacious  and 
luxurious  restaurants  and  eating  sparingly  of  some 
of  the  delicious  viands  prepared  by  the  scientific 
chef.  In  fact,  the  many  delightful  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  living  at  the  Waldoria  directly  ap 
pealed  to  me  as  being  some  of  the  blessings  supplied 
by  nature  for  all  human  beings  to  enjoy 

But  still  there  was  a  serious  drawback  to  my  thor 
ough  and  absolute  enjoyment  of  these  conditions, 
when  I  took  into  consideration  the  fact  that  I  was  in 
no  way  responsible  for  their  existence.  I  was  accept 
ing  something  from  the  community,  but  giving 
nothing  in  return.  I  felt  that  in  living  at  the  Wal 
doria,  and  doing  no  work  for  the  community,  I  was 
like  a  great  sponge  soaking  up  the  life-blood  of 
honest  toil,  and  returning  nothing  for  the  sustenance 
it  afforded  me.  I  felt  that  I  should  at  least  go  to 


BORN     AGAIN  175 

work  and  do  something  that  would  help  to  pay  for 
my  keeping.  True  it  was  that  I  had  the  money  to 
pay  for  these  things,  but  where  did  the  money  come 
from?  Where  does  all  money  come  from?  To  have 
money  to  pay  for  things  does  not  mean  that  one  has 
earned  them.  So  I  decided  that  I  would  go  to  work 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  give  to  the  community  an 
equivalent  for  the  things  I  enjoyed. 

But  then,  the  great  difficulty  arose  when  I  tried 
to  find  something  to  do.  It  made  little  difference 
what  Jcind  of  work  I  should  engage  in  as  long  as  it 
was  of  a  productive  nature.  But  when  I  went  around 
looking  for  employment,  I  discovered  that  there  was 
none  to  be  had. 

It  is  certainly  a  most  unnatural  system  which  fails 
to  utilize  all  the  power  at  its  command  for  the  good 
of  universal  production,  and  it  seems  hard  to  realize 
that  such  conditions  can  exist;  but  during  my  wan 
derings  from  street  to  street,  store  to  store,  and  fac 
tory  to  factory,  throughout  the  great  commonwealth 
of  New  York,  I  discovered  that  besides  myself,  there 
were  also  thousands  of  other  earnest  men  tramping 
the  streets,  willing,  but  unable,  to  find  work.  At 
last,  however,  I  was  put  in  the  peculiar  position  of 
having  to  pay  to  work. 

One  day,  after  a  week  of  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
obtain  employment,  I  ran  across  one  of  the  sub- 
bosses  of  the  street-cleaning  department.  Making 
known  my  desire  to  him,  I  was  amazed  when  he  told 
me  that  he  would  let  me  work  on  condition  that  I 
paid  him  twenty-five  dollars  for  the  job  and  prom 
ised  to  give  him  ten  per  cent,  of  my  wages  each 
month.  He  informed  me  that  all  of  the  men  under 


176  BORN     AGAIN 

his  charge  had  to  do  likewise.  In  fact,  he  intimated 
that  in  order  to  hold  his  own  position  as  sub-boss 
he  had  to  pay  this  money  to  bosses  higher  up  in  the 
department. 

And  so  in  order  to  feel  that  I  was  at  least  doing 
something  for  the  community  to  earn  my  right  to 
live,  I  was  forced  to  pay  for  the  opportunity  and  also 
to  aid  in  keeping  alive  one  of  the  many  systems  of 
graft,  which  unnaturally  swallows  up  the  results  of 
honest  men's  labor. 

So  I  began  work  as  a  street-sweeper — a  position 
looked  upon  generally  as  one  of  the  lowest  in  the 
scale  of  human  employment. 

Why  the  man  who  sweeps  the  streets,  making 
clean  and  wholesome  the  thoroughfares,  which  have 
to  be  traveled  constantly  by  the  people,  and  saving 
the  public  from  filth  and  disease,  should  be  looked 
down  upon  by  the  rest  of  his  fellow  beings  for  doing 
this  great  service,  seems  beyond  the  limits  of  sane 
reasoning;  but  such  is  the  case  in  this  world,  where 
money  is  the  god  worshiped  by  all. 

An  illustrative  incident  occurred  while  I  held  the 
unique  position  of  street-sweeper,  and  at  the  same 
time  being  a  guest  at  the  fashionable  Waldoria 
Hotel.  I  had  become  acquainted  with  many  of  the 
wealthy  guests  of  the  place,  who,  no  doubt,  suppos 
ing  me  to  be  a  man  of  riches,  courted  my  society  to 
some  extent.  In  fact,  I  had  become  rather  popular 
among  the  permanent  residents.  There  was  one 
family  in  particular,  a  certain  Mrs.  Snipe  and  her 
two  daughters,  who  took  every  occasion  to  pay  me 
attentions,  until  one  day  as  I  was  engaged  in  my 
daily  work  on  the  street,  some  distance  from  the 


BORN     AGAIN  177 

hotel,  I  noticed  a  carriage  approaching  which  held 
Mrs.  Snipe  and  her  brood.  They  were  all  looking 
straight  at  me,  but  gave  no  sign  of  recognition  as 
they  passed  along.  That  evening,  after  I  had  changed 
my  working  clothes,  which  by  the  way,  resembled 
the  white  duck  outfit  worn  by  an  African  explorer, 
and,  having  left  them  in  the  tool-house,  I  went  home 
and  attired  myself  in  evening  dress.  Again  I  met  the 
Snipe  family  in  one  of  the  foyers  of  the  hotel.  The 
old  lady,  accompanied  by  her  eligible  daughters, 
approached  me  and  said:  "Mr.  Convert,  I  have 
something  awfully  funny  to  tell  you.  It  is  just  too 
funny  to  keep  to  myself.  You  have  a  double;  wre  saw 
him  today.  Now,  don't  get  angry  when  I  tell  you 
where  we  saw  him  and  who  he  is,  but  he  resembled 
you  so  much  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  position  he 
occupied  I  should  have  sworn  it  was  you.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  street-sweeping  brigade,  and  if  you 
wish  to  see  him  just  go  over  to  Fifth  avenue  and 
Twenty-sixth  street  tomorrow  and  you  can  see  for 
yourself.  There,  now,  you  are  not  angry,  are  you?" 

"No,"  answered  I,  "the  person  you  refer  to  I  have 
seen  many  times.  There  is  nothing  to  be  angry 
about.  Certainly,  not  because  he  holds  the  honor 
able  position  of  cleaning  the  streets  which  you  have 
to  travel." 

"Honorable,"  retorted  Mrs.  Snipe;  "you  must  be 
joking.  I  cannot  understand  how  an  aristocratic 
gentleman  like  yourself  would  otherwise  make  such 
an  absurd  remark." 

"I  am  not  joking  at  all,"  said  I;  "in  my  estimation, 
the  street-sweeper  belongs  to  the  most  honorable 
portion  of  mankind.  He  is  down-trodden  by  society 


!78  BORN    AGAIN 

now,  owing  to  an  unnatural  system  which  permits 
the  strong  to  take  the  largest  portion  of  wealth  and 
rule;  but  the  day  will  come  when  men  who  sweep 
the  streets  or  occupy  other  positions  of  worth  to  the 
community,  will  enjoy  the  same  luxuries  and  sur 
roundings  that  you  and  other  non-producers  now 
enjoy.  They  will  live  in  the  palaces  now  occupied 
by  the  parasites  who  do  no  work.  Such  places  as  the 
Waldoria  Hotel  will  be  utilized  for  their  benefit, 
and  those  who  do  not  work,  those  who  claim  the 
right  to  live  without  labor,  will  be  thrown  out  en 
tirely." 

"Why,  Mr.  Convert,  what  do  you  mean  by  talking 
in  such  a  beastly  way?  If  you  are  so  fond  of  those 
vulgar  street-sweepers,  why  don't  you  become  one 
of  them?" 

"I  have,"  I  answered.  "The  man  you  saw  today 
sweeping  the  streets  was  none  other  than  myself,  and 
I  am  proud  of  it." 

"You  are  either  joking  or  else  you  have  gone  out 
of  your  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Snipe  with  a  look  of  dis 
gust.  But  upon  my  reiteration  that  I  was  really  the 
man  she  saw,  both  she  and  her  daughters  abruptly 
left  my  presence  and  never  looked  at  me  afterwards. 
They  no  doubt  communicated  the  text  of  our  con 
versation  to  the  different  people  of  the  hotel,  also, 
for  I  discovered  later  that  the  other  guests  with 
whom  I  had  become  acquainted,  not  only  refused 
to  converse  with  me,  but  regarded  me  as  a  sort  of 
curiosity  or  peculiar  freak  of  nature.  They  would 
pass  me  on  the  street,  where  I  was  working  at  differ 
ent  times,  in  their  gorgeous  carriages,  and,  calling 
each  other's  attention  would  pass  jokes  at  my  ex 
pense,  and  laugh  loud  and  mockingly  at  me.  At  first 


BORN     AGAIN  179 

these  things  troubled  me  to  some  degree,  but  gradu 
ally  I  gathered  courage  to  bear  their  sneers — cour 
age  such  as  I  had  never  experienced  before. 

I  had  faced  all  manner  of  dangers  during  my  life 
without  fear,  but  I  had  never  known  the  real  mean 
ing  of  courage  until  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  right 
under  all  conditions,  and  accept  the  ridicule  of  my 
fellow  beings  without  resentment.  In  my  humble 
position  I  could  now  appreciate  the  philosophy  and 
the  true  greatness  of  the  Sagewoman's  beautiful  les 
sons  of  unselfishness.  I  felt  that  I  was  just  beginning 
to  get  strong — strong  in  the  grandest  attribute  a 
human  being  can  possess — moral  courage.  The  great 
Sagewoman's  teachings  on  forbearance  were  begin 
ning  to  take  root  in  my  nature.  I  was  learning  to 
understand  that  I  must  work  and  feel  for  others, 
regardless  of  my  own  selfish  desires. 

One  day,  while  I  was  busily  engaged  in  my  daily 
toil,  my  attention  became  attracted  to  a  big,  fash 
ionably  dressed  man,  standing  on  the  sidewalk  near 
by,  calmly  smoking  a  high-priced  cigar.  He  was 
apparently  about  thirty  years  of  age,  six  feet  tall,  and 
weighed  over  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was  beastly 
in  appearance,  and  looked  as  if  he  considered  his 
own  selfish  wants  as  the  only  things  in  the  world 
worth  attention.  He  probably  had  never  done  an 
honest  day's  labor  in  his  life.  A  ragged  old  man, 
about  sixty  years  of  age,  who  apparently  had  given 
his  whole  life  to  productive  toil,  but  now  feeble  and 
half-starved  in  appearance,  approached  and  appealed 
to  him  for  a  few  cents  with  which  to  buy  something 
to  eat.  The  big  fellow  roughly  told  him  to  go  along 
and  not  bother  him,  and  the  old  man,  not  doing  as 
he  was  ordered,  the  young  man  deliberately  swung 


180  BORN     AGAIN 

his  fist  and  struck  the  poor  beggar  between  the  eyes, 
knocking  him  senseless  to  the  pavement.  For  a  mo 
ment  I  was  dumbfounded  by  this  exhibition  of 
brutality,  and  then  instantly  every  drop  of  blood  in 
my  body  was  set  boiling  at  the  sight.  I  lost  control 
of  myself.  My  old-time  pugnacious  spirit  asserted 
itself,  and  I  sprang  forward  like  a  maddened  bull, 
striking  the  brute  a  vicious  blow  upon  the  head  with 
my  fist,  and  sending  him  sprawling  several  feet  away. 
As  he  scrambled  to  his  feet,  in  a  dazed  condition,  I 
rushed  forward  furiously,  with  the  intention  of  fell 
ing  him  to  the  ground.  After  allowing  him  to  regain 
his  feet,  I  raised  my  arm  to  deal  a  well-directed  blow 
with  all  my  strength,  when  something  within  me 
suddenly  cried  out:  "Don't  strike."  "Don't  make  a 
brute  of  yourself  because  the  other  did."  "Let  the 
law  take  its  course."  And,  as  I  hesitated  momentar 
ily,  there  passed  through  my  mind  like  an  electric 
flash,  these  words: 

"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice. 

"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction." 

Then  instantly  recognizing  the  mandate  I  had  so 
faithfully  promised  the  great  Sagewoman  to  obey,  I 
overcame* my  rage  and  allowed  my  arms  to  fall  to 
my  sides  without  striking  another  blow. 

Two  policemen  hurriedly  approached  the  scene. 
I  stated  what  had  occurred  and  requested  them  to 
take  the  bully  to  jail.  To  my  surprise,  however,  at 
the  command  of  the  well-dressed  ruffian,  who  I 
afterward  learned  was  a  wealthy  financier,  both 
myself  and  the  beggar  were  taken  to  the  station- 
house.  I  was  fined  ten  dollars,  and  the  poor  old  man 
was  sentenced  to  jail  for  thirty  days. 


BORN     AGAIN  181 

While  I  knew  that  in  this  case  the  law  of  justice 
had  been  misapplied  in  favor  of  the  cowardly 
wretch  with  money,  nevertheless  I  felt  that  I  had 
gained  incalculable  strength  in  self-control  by  not 
acting  contrary  to  the  warning  of  my  soul  and  mak 
ing  of  myself  the  same  kind  of  a  brute  as  the  one 
whom  I  had  intended  to  injure. 


CHAPTER  29 

Central  Park  is  a  tract  of  land  situate  in  the 
middle  of  residential  New  York.  It  is  oblong  in 
shape,  being  two  miles  in  length,  half  a  mile  in 
width  and  covering  an  area  of  about  eight  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  The  ground  has  been  artificially 
changed  from  a  wild  waste  to  one  of  the  most  beau 
tiful  spots  to  be  found  anywhere.  It  is  coursed  by  a 
net-work  of  splendid  drive-ways,  equestrian  roads 
and  foot-paths  running  in  all  directions  among  the 
many  little  rocky  hills  and  miniature  lakes.  Trees, 
flower-beds  and  shrubbery  of  various  kinds  have 
been  cleverly  arranged  by  skilled  artists  to  form  a 
delightfully  picturesque  effect.  Chirping  birds  of 
many  colors  and  tame  squirrels  in  multitudinous 
numbers  find  this  park  a  heavenly  abiding  place 
where  the  danger  of  annihilation  is  minimized.  Play 
grounds  for  the  children  are  laid  out  in  different 
parts  of  the  domain  while  a  zoological  garden  where 
animals  are  kept  imprisoned  in  small  cages  for  the 
term  of  their  natural  lives,  is  put  forth  as  one  of  its 
many  features. 

As  one  passes  through  the  entrance  gate  at  Sev 
enty-eighth  street  and  Central  Park  West,  and  turns 
first  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  and  finally  to  the 
right  again,  following  a  foot-path  similar  in  its  wind 
ings  to  a  letter  S,  and  crossing  two  small  bridges,  he 


BORN     AGAIN  183 

will  come  to  an  abrupt  ending  of  a  narrow  path 
running  into  an  immense  projecting  rock.  Here  is 
located  a  canopied  seat  just  large  enough  for  two 
people.  Facing  this  shelter  is  a  small  lake,  on  the 
edge  of  which  overhanging  trees  afford  delightful 
shade  during  the  hot  months.  That  was  the  place 
selected  by  Arietta  for  our  meeting  ground.  It  was 
an  out-of-the-way,  quiet  and  romantic  spot  where 
we  spent  many  pleasant  afternoons  and  evenings 
enjoying  each  other's  company.  Whenever  Arietta 
\vanted  to  see  me  she  sent  a  note  which  never  failed 
to  bring  me  there.  In  fact,  such  a  feeling  of  enchant 
ment  did  the  place  hold  for  me,  that  many  times  I 
wandered  out  there  and  sat  alone  for  hours,  musing. 

But  notwithstanding  that  our  many  meetings  had 
the  effect  of  strengthening  our  mutual  admiration 
and  love  for  each  other,  and  that  I  was  beginning  to 
fairly  idolize  this  beautiful  young  woman,  still  cer 
tain  things  came  to  pass  that  I  could  not  understand, 
and  which  caused  me  to  feel  that  Arietta's  actions 
were  very  mysterious,  and  that  there  was  something 
about  her  life  she  was  trying  to  withhold  from  me. 

In  the  first  place  she  would  never  meet  me  any 
where  else  except  in  that  obscure  nook  in  the  park, 
and  in  departing  would  not  permit  me  to  escort  her 
beyond  the  Seventy-eighth  street  entrance,  where 
she  would  abruptly  bid  me  a  hasty  adieu,  with  in 
structions  that  I  must  take  another  route. 

That,  in  itself,  appeared  to  be  a  strange  proceed 
ing,  but  one  evening  as  I  entered  a  fashionable  Fifth 
avenue  restaurant  on  one  of  my  tours  of  inspection 
of  plutocratic  conditions,  I  was  amazed  to  see  her 
seated  at  one  of  the  tables,  drinking  wine  with  a 


184 

male  companion.  Her  face  was  flushed  from  the 
effects  of  the  beverage,  and  she  was  acting  a  trifle 
hilarious,  and  displaying  traits  of  frivolity  such  as 
I  had  never  observed  in  her  before.  As  I  caught  her 
eye  she  gave  a  quick  start,  and  then  deliberately 
turned  her  head  in  another  direction,  and  pretended 
not  to  have  seen  me.  At  this  act  I  rushed  out  into 
the  street,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  I  was 
able  to  control  my  feelings. 

The  next  evening  I  met  her  in  the  park,  and  was 
further  surprised  when  she  not  only  failed  to  men 
tion  the  incident,  but  intimated  that  she  had  spent 
the  evening  at  an  entirely  different  place.  She  ap 
peared  so  innocent,  however,  and  was  so  charming 
in  her  manner  that  I  almost  immediately  forgot  the 
affair,  and  said  nothing  about  it.  A  few  nights  later, 
though,  as  I  was  walking  down  Broadway,  near 
Twenty-seventh  street,  I  noticed  a  large  crowd  of 
men  and  women  gathered  and  questioning  a  by 
stander  as  to  the  reason  thereof,  I  was  informed  that 
a  stylishly  dressed  lady  was  "too  drunk  to  navigate" 
and  was  in  the  hands  of  a  policeman.  As  I  craned 
my  neck  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  unfortunate  woman, 
I  was  shocked  beyond  expression  to  find  that  it  was 
none  other  than  Arietta  who  had  created  the  commo 
tion.  Horrified,  I  rushed  through  the  crowd,  push 
ing  men  right  and  left,  until  I  had  reached  the 
policeman,  who  was  holding  her  up  by  the  arm  and 
trying  to  ascertain  her  name  and  address.  She  could 
hardly  stand,  and  seemed  dazed  to  the  point  of  fall 
ing,  but  as  I  spoke  her  name,  her  memory  revived 
somewhat,  and,  fixing  her  half-closed  eyes  upon  me, 
she  said:  "Why,  hello  Jack"  And  then,  turning  to 
the  officer,  remarked:  "This  is  my  friend  Jack;  he 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  185 

will  take  me  home."  I  could  not  understand  the 
reason  she  called  me  Jack.  She  had  never  addressed 
me  in  that  way  before.  But  without  delay  I  informed 
the  policeman  that  I  would  take  charge  of  her,  and 
requested  him  to  call  a  cab.  When  the  vehicle  arrived 
it  became  necessary  for  me  to  lift  her  bodily  into  it, 
and  then  I  was  at  a  loss  to  know  just  where  to  take 
her.  In  order  to  get  away  from  the  crowd,  however, 
I  told  the  driver  to  go  on  and  I  would  give  him  the 
address  later. 

"Tell  him  to  take  us  to  the  Seraglio  Apartments," 
she  mumbled. 

"Do  you  know  where  the  Seraglio  Apartments 
are?"  I  inquired  of  the  driver. 

"Yes,  sir,  in  Central  Park  West,"  replied  he,  as 
he  whipped  up  his  horse  and  started  in  that  direc 
tion. 

Arietta  said  no  more,  but  remained  silent,  as  if 
stupefied  from  the  effects  of  the  intoxicating  drink 
she  had  taken. 

"What  a  pity,"  thought  I,  as  we  sped  along,  "that 
this  young  woman,  wTith  all  of  her  beauty,  grace  and 
charm,  and  with  all  of  her  splendid  traits  of  char 
acter,  should  fall  a  victim  to  the  awful  curse  of 
drink!  Could  this  condition  have  been  brought 
about  because  she  had  no  work  to  perform  and  too 
much  time  and  money  to  squander  recklessly?  What 
a  pity  that  there  are  human  beings  who  make  and 
sell  poisonous  stuff  for  money  which  not  only  robs 
those  who  use  it  of  their  reasoning  power,  but  which 
undermines  the  very  foundation  of  the  human  race! 
Those  people  who  make  and  sell  liquor,  knowing 
that  it  will  ultimately  destroy  the  lives  of  thousands 


186  BORN     AGAIN 

of  human  beings,  are  just  as  much  murderous  poi 
soners  as  would  be  the  chemist  who  would  know 
ingly  give  a  deadly  drug  to  an  intended  suicide." 

When  we  arrived  at  the  apartment  house,  which 
was  one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  New  York,  it  was 
with  some  difficulty  that  I  was  able  to  arouse  her 
sufficiently  so  that  she  could  walk  with  my  assist 
ance.  Entering  the  vestibule,  I  asked  her  if  she  could 
get  along  without  further  help,  but  she  insisted  that 
I  should  go  to  her  rooms,  so  getting  into  the  elevator 
we  were  taken  up  to  the  eighth  floor. 

As  though  he  was  accustomed  to  this  sort  of  an 
affair,  the  elevator  attendant  went  ahead  and  opened 
one  of  the  doors  on  the  right  of  the  hallway,  and 
after  turning  on  the  electric  light,  and  we  had  en 
tered,  he  withdrew  at  once,  quietly  closing  the  door 
after  him. 

I  then  found  myself  within  one  of  the  most  ele 
gantly  furnished  drawing  rooms  imaginable.  At  one 
end  of  the  apartment  was  an  archway  gorgeously 
draped  with  costly  tapestries  which  partially  screened 
another  room  beyond,  which  served  as  a  bed-cham 
ber. 

Arietta  staggered  forward,  half  pulling  me  along 
with  her  into  this  other  room,  and  throwing  herself 
upon  the  bed,  ordered  me,  in  a  dazed  sort  of  a  way, 
to  remove  her  clothing. 

I  was  dumbfounded  at  this  extraordinary  com 
mand  and  felt  that  I  was  placed  in  an  extremely 
awkward  position.  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  allowing 
the  poor  girl  to  remain  over  night,  in  the  uncom 
fortable  position  she  had  taken,  bound  as  she  was  by 
tightly  fitting  garments,  and  still  I  realized  that  it 


BORN     AGAIN  187 

was  a  very  delicate  undertaking  to  follow  out  her 
instructions,  knowing  full  well  tha..  if  she  were  in 
her  right  senses  she  would  be  horrified  at  the  thought 
of  such  a  thing.  But  as  I  stood  looking  at  her  for 
several  moments  in  a  state  of  perplexed  indecision, 
and  wondering  what  course  to  pursue,  she  began  to 
moan  as  if  in  agony,  and  without  further  hesitation 
I  decided  to  go  ahead  and  do  my  best  to  make  her 
position  more  comfortable.  So  I  began  by  taking  off 
her  shoes. 

"What  a  superb  foot!"  mused  I  enthusiastically, 
as  I  unlaced  and  removed  her  pretty  little  shoes. 
"Was  there  ever  another  quite  so  shapely  or  entranc 
ing?  And  the  ankle!  How  daintily  its  joints  showed 
beneath  embroidered  hose  of  exquisite  material." 
Hardly  had  I  begun  this  task  before  I  realized  that  a 
strange  magnetic  force  was  stealing  upon  me.  With 
such  a  feast  for  my  eyes  to  contend  with,  it  seemed 
as  if  my  senses  were  being  gradually  overcome  by 
the  intoxicating  clutch  of  voluptuous  dreams. 

The  shoes  off,  I  turned  my  attention  to  the  collar 
which  apparently  caused  her  much  uneasiness.  The 
collar,  as  I  discovered,  was  a  part  of  the  bodice  and 
could  not  be  taken  off  without  removing  the  whole 
garment,  which  task  required  considerable  time, 
patience,  and  careful  maneuvering  to  perform.  This 
I  finally  accomplished,  however,  with  the  aid  of 
Arietta,  who  revived  occasionally  from  her  comatose 
state  long  enough  to  give  a  few  indistinct  directions, 
and  then  as  my  eyes  rested  upon  her  lovely  arms, 
neck  and  shoulders,  I  was  plunged  into  ecstatic  emo 
tion  such  as  words  have  not  the  power  to  express. 

At  last  I  succeeded  in  loosening  the  stays  and  dif- 


188  BORN     AGAIN 

ferent  cords  and  ribbons  usually  worn  by  women, 
which  alleviated  her  distress  considerably,  and  after 
throwing  a  light  robe  over  her  form  was  about  to 
arrange  her  position  so  that  she  might  rest  comfort 
ably,  when  to  my  utter  astonishment  she  threw  her 
arms  around  my  neck,  kissed  me  several  times,  and 
whispered  in  my  ear,  "You  won't  leave  me  alone 
tonight,  will  you,  darling?" 

This  seemed  to  be  almost  too  much  for  me  to 
bear;  the  cravings  of  my  sensual  nature  began  a 
desperate  struggle  with  my  better  self.  My  blood 
started  to  tingle  with  the  heat  of  passion.  Evil 
thoughts  crowded  themselves  into  my  brain.  The 
more  of  these  evil  thoughts  I  allowed  to  enter  my 
head  the  less  power  of  resistance  I  held  against  their 
subtle  ravages.  I  was  losing  self-control.  I  felt  pow 
erless  to  battle  successfully  against  the  temptation. 

Stealthily  walking  over  to  the  door,  I  softly  bolted 
it  and  then  stood  still  for  some  time  and  listened. 
It  was  past  midnight  and  everything  was  quiet.  I 
turned  out  the  light  and  started  to  go  over  to  Arietta. 
As  I  did  so,  something  within  me  seemed  to  cry  out 
with  shame  against  such  cowardice.  As  I  paused  for 
a  moment,  the  voice  from  within  became  stronger  in 
its  disapproval  of  my  intentions.  Apparently  I  be 
came  divided  into  two  parts,  and  each  was  strug 
gling  for  the  mastery  of  me.  One  side  was  trying 
with  all  its  might  to  push  me  forward,  while  the 
other  was  attempting  to  hold  me  back  with  reproach 
ful  warnings.  These  two  parts  were  my  material 
and  spiritual  selves,  contending  for  supremacy.  I 
wavered  back  and  forth,  from  one  to  the  other,  and 
it  seemed  that  the  material  side  was  about  to  con- 


BORN     AGAIN  189 

quer  and  carry  me  down  to  disgrace,  when  suddenly 
there  passed  through  my  mind  like  a  great  wave  of 
strength  the  Sagewoman's  wonderful  precept: 

"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice. 

"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction." 

And  recognizing  the  full  meaning  of  these  words, 
I  immediately  turned  about,  unbolted  the  door,  and 
quietly  left  the  apartment,  feeling  that  the  soul  was 
still  master  of  my  actions. 


CHAPTER  30 

Almost  from  the  first  day  after  I  left  the  hospital 
I  began  to  feel  an  earnest  desire  to  follow  out  the 
instructions  of  the  great  Sagewoman  in  regard  to 
teaching  my  fellow  beings  the  philosophy  of  Natural 
Law,  and,  knowing  of  no  better  way  to  begin  this 
work,  I  decided  to  go  out  and  lecture  upon  the 
streets  to  all  persons  who  might  care  to  listen.  I  set 
aside  three  evenings  each  week  to  preach  the  Truth, 
and  took  a  position  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  avenue, 
and  Twenty-third  street,  just  opposite  the  "Flat- 
iron"  building,  with  nothing  but  a  soap-box  for  a 
platform;  it  was  here  that  I  devoted  many  evenings 
instructing  the  masses  in  the  principles  of  Sage- 
manism. 

At  first  I  felt  a  little  awkward,  and  could  not  find 
sufficient  words  to  express  myself  properly  upon  the 
subject,  but  gradually  there  came  self-reliance, 
which  enabled  me  to  communicate  my  thoughts  to 
others,  and  within  a  few  weeks  I  had  acquired  a 
fluency  of  speech  whereby  I  could  talk  for  hours 
without  embarrassment. 

During  my  first  attempts  at  public  speaking,  few 
people  would  remain  more  than  a  moment  or  two 
to  hear  what  I  had  to  say,  but  with  the  increased 
force  and  power  of  speech,  which  I  acquired  with 
practice,  my  audiences  grew  larger  and  larger,  until 


BORN     AGAIN  191 

finally  the  streets  were  blockaded  with  their  num 
bers  at  these  meetings.  Many  of  my  hearers,  both 
rich  and  poor  alike,  got  into  the  habit  of  coming 
repeatedly  to  listen  to  these  talks,  and  after  a  short 
time  they  would  come  to  me  one  by  one  and  request 
personal  tutorage  in  the  principles  set  forth.  In  fact, 
the  number  of  these  proselytes  increased  to  such  an 
extent,  and  their  intentions  were  so  earnest  and 
serious,  that  it  finally  became  necessary  to  engage  a 
hall,  where  we  might  hold  private  meetings.  It  was 
in  this  way  that  there  was  finally  organized  the  so 
ciety  for  the  propagation  of  the  principles  of  Natural 
Law.  Little  by  little  the  society  gained  in  numerical 
strength,  until  I  felt  sure  that  the  seed  of  this  grand 
work  had  been  planted  in  human  soil  for  all  time 
to  come,  and  that  its  fruits  would  blossom  forth  in 
abundance  as  time  passed  by. 

But  while  success  appeared  to  be  crowning  my 
humble  efforts  in  this  direction,  and  the  more  prog 
ress  I  made  in  this  propaganda,  the  more  opposed 
to  my  methods  Arietta  became.  She  grew  intensely 
antagonistic  to  my  work,  and  tried  in  every  way  to 
have  me  discontinue  it.  She  could  not  believe  that 
all  human  beings  were  born  to  have  equal  rights 
and  privileges  in  the  world.  She  had  been  taught 
from  infancy  that  there  must  always  be  a  master  and 
a  servant,  and  that  the  Deity  was  responsible  for  the 
position  held  between  them.  She  believed  that  it  is 
the  Creator's  will  that  some  people  are  born  in 
wealth  and  luxury,  while  others  are  born  and  bred 
in  poverty  and  squalor.  She  repeatedly  endeavored  to 
persuade  me  to  desist  in  the  work  I  had  undertaken. 

My  efforts  to  convert  Arietta  as  a  believer  in 
Natural  Law  were  futile,  and  a  great  gulf  seemed  to 


192  BORN     AGAIN 

be  springing  up  and  separating  us  from  one  another. 
I  felt  that  I  was  placed  in  a  very  difficult  position. 
On  the  one  hand,  I  loved  this  beautiful  young 
woman  more  than  words  can  convey  any  idea  of. 
She  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  my  life.  I  would  have 
gladly  suffered  any  pain  or  torture,  if  by  so  doing 
it  would  have  afforded  her  one  moment  of  pleasure. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  had  sworn  most  solemnly  to  the 
great  Sagewoman  that  I  would  devote  the  remainder 
of  my  natural  life  to  the  dissemination  of  the  prin 
ciples  in  which  she  had  instructed  me.  I  often  won 
dered  at  my  strange  predicament.  Here  I  was  being 
censured  by  the  re-incarnated  soul  of  the  great  Sage- 
woman  for  carrying  out  the  very  work  she  taught 
me,  and  for  fulfilling  my  promise  to  her. 

The  climax  of  this  peculiar  situation  was  reached 
one  night  at  our  meeting  place  in  the  park.  Arietta 
had  sent  me  an  urgent  despatch  to  come  and  see  her 
without  fail,  and  then  she  had  stated  that  it  was  her 
intention  to  leave  New  York  the  next  day  on  a  pro 
tracted  trip  through  Europe.  She  said  she  had  come 
to  bid  me  good-bye,  and  that  it  was  to  be  good-bye 
forever,  as  she  never  intended  to  see  me  again.  She 
appeared  depressed  and  sad  upon  this  occasion,  and 
her  eyes  were  filled  with  tears.  In  answer  to  my 
inquiry,  as  to  her  reason  for  leaving  me  in  this  way, 
she  said  that  it  was  because  she  could  not  uphold 
me  in  my  crusade  against  all  civilized  principles. 

She  told  me  frankly  that  she  loved  me  and  that 
she  cared  nothing  for  any  other  man  in  the  world 
except  myself,  but  that  she  could  not  do  otherwise 
than  go  away  and  forget  me.  She  claimed  that 
nothing  further  could  come  of  our  friendship  as 
long  as  I  continued  an  emissary  of  Natural  Law; 


BORN     AGAIN  193 

that  her  parents  would  oppose  it;  that  her  friends 
would  be  against  it,  and  the  whole  world  would 
sneer  at  it;  and  that  to  be  placed  in  such  a  trying 
position  was  more  than  she  could  possibly  bear. 
According  to  her,  there  was  no  good  reason  why  I 
could  not  give  up  my  undertaking,  to  please  her. 
She  had  everything  in  the  world  to  make  me  happy 
and  was  willing  to  give  me  anything  within  her 
power,  if  I  would  only  relinquish  my  purpose  and 
promise  never  to  think  of  it  again.  She  told  me 
that  she  was  wealthy,  that  she  had  millions  in  her 
own  name,  and  that  her  father  and  uncles  were 
multi-millionaires,  to  whose  wealth  she  would  be 
the  sole  heir.  She  said  that  if  I  would  promise  to 
quit  the  work  I  was  engaged  in,  that  she  would  give 
me  her  hand  in  marriage,  and  also  deposit  in  the 
bank  to  my  credit  one  million  dollars  on  the  follow 
ing  day  as  a  dowry,  with  which  I  could  do  as  I 
pleased.  She  was  serious  and  apparently  in  earnest, 
and  I  did  not  doubt  one  word  of  what  she  said  as 
being  the  truth.  So  I  was  placed  in  the  position  of 
choosing  between  great  wealth,  the  woman  I  loved, 
and  all  other  earthly  pleasures  on  the  one  hand, 
and  a  duty  which  I  had  solemnly  sworn  to  perform, 
on  the  other. 

It  was  a  trying  situation,  to  say  the  least.  With 
bowed  head  I  sat  and  considered  all  phases  of  the 
matter,  with  much  earnestness  and  equal  indecision. 
To  think  that  Arietta  would  leave  me  forever  was  to 
feel  that  my  heart  was  being  torn  from  its  fastenings. 
To  have  her  as  my  wife,  this  alone  seemed  to  be  the 
very  greatest  happiness  that  life  could  afford,  and 
mayhap,  the  promise  of  a  million  dollars  was  not 
without  its  allurement.  A  position  in  the  very  best 


194  BORNAGAIN 

society  of  the  country  also  loomed  before  my  vision, 
as  I  considered  these  things.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
I  refused,  I  could  look  forward  to  a  life  of  poverty, 
hard  work,  and  the  abuse  of  my  fellow  beings.  The 
temptation  was  a  trying  one,  and  it  seemed  impos 
sible  for  me  to  refuse  Arietta's  offering.  As  I  raised 
my  head  and  looked  into  her  beautiful  eyes,  which 
expressed  great  love,  and  tenderness,  and  expecta 
tion,  I  felt  that  I  could  not  say  no  to  her.  It  seemed 
as  if  I  had  been  placed  between  honor  and  tempta 
tion,  and  was  about  to  fall  into  the  arms  of  the 
latter.  I  hesitated  a  moment,  undecided  as  to  what 
to  do,  when  something  within  me  distinctly  said: 
"Be  a  man.  Give  up  all  earthly  pleasures  during 
this  life  and  teach  Natural  Law,  according  to  your 
promise."  Then  once  again  the  wise  words  of  the 
great  Sagewoman  passed  through  my  mind: 

"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice. 

"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction." 

Instantly  arising  and  feeling  that  I  should  follow 
the  advice  of  my  soul  above  all  other  considerations, 
I  determined  to  do  that  which  was  right.  I  concluded 
that  to  lose  Arietta,  and  all  the  pleasures  incidental 
to  a  life  with  her,  was  but  a  temporary  loss,  but  the 
opportunity  of  setting  a  great  example  to  my  fellow 
beings,  a  precedent  that  would  have  lasting  influ 
ence,  might  never  arrive  again,  and  that  it  was  my 
solemn  duty  to  seize  this  chance  while  I  had  the 
power  to  do  so. 

So,  standing  erect  and  without  further  hesitation, 
I  took  Arietta's  hand  in  mine  and  said:  "My  dear 
girl,  to  lose  you  will  cause  me  much  suffering  and 
pain,  so  much  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  you 


BORN     AGAIN  195 

to  form  any  conception  of  it.  To  lose  you  is  to 
deprive  me  of  all  that  is  dear  and  sweet  in  this  life. 
To  permit  you  to  go  without  acceding  to  your  wishes 
taxes  my  strength  to  the  utmost  limit,  but  believe 
me,  the  life  of  one  little  human  being  is  of  short 
duration  in  the  immense  sea  of  time,  and  while  I  am 
giving  up  the  delight  and  pleasure  of  your  compan 
ionship  now,  I  am  doing  so  in  order  that  I  may  lend 
my  feeble  efforts  toward  the  establishment  of  a  social 
system  whereby  the  conditions  of  this  world  will  be 
made  such  that  at  some  future  date  our  souls  may 
be  able  to  join  each  other  in  peace  and  harmony  and 
enjoy  the  blessings  of  a  heavenly  world,  free  from 
money,  which  I  hope  will  eventually  be  the  result 
of  my  present  labors.  Therefore,  in  acting  contrary 
to  your  wishes  now,  I  feel  that  I  am  working  for 
your  future  happiness.  I  shall  remain  at  my  present 
post  of  duty,  trying  to  uplift  mankind,  I  shall  follow 
the  dictates  of  my  conscience  in  doing  this,  and  as 
long  as  the  bones  of  my  little  anatomy  hold  together 
as  a  living  being  and  my  brain  has  the  power  to 
reason,  I  shall  teach  the  principles  of  Natural  Law 
even  if  all  the  world  follows  your  example  and  turns 
against  me." 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  little  speech  my  emotion 
overcame  me  and  I  could  say  no  more. 

Arietta  also  appeared  overcome  with  sadness,  and 
was  unable  to  speak.  She  withdrew  her  hand  from 
mine  and  without  a  word  turned  and  walked  slowly 
away,  sobbing  bitterly  as  she  left. 

I  stood  and  watched  her  retreating  form  in  a  dazed 
sort  of  a  way.  With  each  step  which  put  us  farther 
apart,  increasing  darkness  obscured  my  vision.  I 


196  BORN     AGAIN 

wanted  to  call  her  back  but  a  lump  came  in  my 
throat  and  I  could  not  speak.  My  brain  was  in  a 
whirl.  A  terrible  feeling  of  gloom  over-shadowed 
me.  I  labored  under  great  excitement.  My  head 
seemed  as  if  it  were  ready  to  burst.  I  felt  that  I  was 
going  mad.  The  trees  and  everything  else  appeared 
to  be  moving  about  in  great  confusion.  Those  same 
symptoms  which  I  experienced  after  falling  among 
the  rocks  of  Sageland  returned.  My  body  seemed  to 
be  dividing  into  several  parts  and  then  becoming 
one  again.  I  tried  to  control  myself  but  without 
avail.  All  of  a  sudden  I  saw  standing  before  me  two 
Ariettas,  one  at  the  right  hand  and  the  other  at  the 
left.  The  one  at  the  right  I  instantly  recognized  as 
the  great  Sagewoman,  while  on  the  left  stood  the 
girl  Arietta.  They  were  facing  and  pointing  in 
opposite  directions.  Looking  to  my  right  I  saw  a 
path  running  up  a  steep  hill  which  seemed  almost 
impossible  to  climb  and  upon  which  was  inscribed 
the  word  strength.  To  my  left  I  observed  a  path 
running  down  the  hill  upon  which  was  written  the 
word  weakness.  At  the  top  of  the  hill  everything 
looked  bright  and  cheerful  and  orderly,  while  at  the 
bottom  darkness  and  confusion  prevailed.  Above 
the  extreme  top,  as  though  stamped  in  space  like  a 
great  rainbow,  these  words  appeared:  Natural  Law, 
Wisdom,  Love  for  Others.  At  the  bottom,  and 
almost  obscured  in  the  gloom,  I  faintly  discerned 
the  following:  Money,  Ignorance,  Love  of  Self. 

As  I  stood  speechless  at  this  wonderful  vision 
everything  suddenly  became  dark  and  I  knew  no 
more. 


CHAPTER  31 

The  next  impression  my  memory  has  any  record 
of  was  a  huge  ocean  steamer,  floating  away  upon  the 
deep.  Great  volumes  of  smoke  were  pouring  forth 
from  its  smoke-stacks  as  it  majestically  glided  over 
the  water.  Upon  its  many  decks  were  hundreds  of 
human  beings,  scattered  about  in  little  groups,  gaily 
chatting  and  enjoying  to  the  fullest  extent  the  de 
light  experienced  by  an  ocean  voyage.  Among  all  of 
the  happy  faces,  however,  there  was  one  that  ap 
peared  sad  and  forlorn.  It  was  the  face  of  a  beau 
tiful  young  woman,  standing  alone  against  the  rail 
ing  of  the  promenade  deck,  who  was  weeping  in 
silence.  As  she  raised  her  eyes  and  looked  in  my 
direction,  I  instantly  recognized  the  girl  Arietta, 
and  realized  that  she  was  leaving  me  forever.  And 
then,  like  one  in  a  dream,  I  held  out  my  hands  and 
mutely  implored  her  to  return.  She  appeared  to  be 
within  a  short  distance  and  looking  straight  at  me, 
but  still  made  no  sign  of  recognition.  I  could  not 
understand  the  reason  for  such  coldness  on  her  part, 
and  in  astonishment  rubbed  my  eyes  and  looked 
again,  when  lo  and  behold,  she  had  vanished  from 
sight.  But  far  out  into  the  distance,  almost  to  the 
horizon,  I  could  plainly  see  a  large  steamer  headed 
toward  the  vast  ocean  beyond.  I  looked  around  in 
a  confused  sort  of  a  way,  and  discovered,  to  my  sur- 


198  BORN     AGAIN 

prise,  that  I  was  standing  almost  at  the  water's  edge 
on  one  of  the  docks  near  Battery  Place.  It  was  day 
light,  and  the  sun  was  shining  overhead.  I  then  con 
cluded  that  I  must  have  been  out  of  my  head  for 
some  time,  and  questioning  a  stranger,  who  stood 
nearby,  I  learned  that  just  fourteen  hours  had 
elapsed  since  I  had  bade  Arietta  good-bye,  and  I 
could  form  no  recollection  of  the  slightest  incident 
that  happened  since  then. 

After  watching  the  steamer  until  it  had  disap 
peared  from  view,  I  slowly  walked  to  a  bench  in 
Battery  Park  and  sat  down,  in  the  depths  of  despair, 
to  reflect  upon  the  strange  occurrence.  I  must  have 
sat  there  for  about  an  hour  in  deep  meditation, 
when  my  attention  was  attracted  by  a  newspaper 
urchin,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice:  "Paper! 
Extra!  All  about  the  great  murder."  At  the  same 
time  he  rushed  up  to  me,  pushed  a  paper  into  my 
hand,  took  the  penny  I  offered  him  mechanically, 
and  scampered  along. 

"Another  murder,"  mused  I;  "what  a  pity  human 
beings  cannot  dwell  together  without  taking  each 
other's  lives." 

Glancing  over  the  headlines,  I  learned  from  the 
big  black  type  that  a  beautiful  young  woman  had 
been  murdered  in  cold  blood.  Reading  further,  I 
was  horrified  to  find  that  the  young  woman's  name 
was  Arietta  Fogg,  and  that  she  was  murdered  in  her 
own  rooms,  at  the  Seraglio  Apartments,  Central 
Park  West.  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  saw  the 
thing  aright.  I  felt  sure  that  it  must  be  an  optical 
illusion  wrought  by  my  constant  thought  of  Arietta. 
I  looked  again  and  again,  yet  read  ever  the  same 
words,  and,  laboring  under  tremendous  excitement, 


BORN     AGAIN  199 

I  hurriedly  perused  the  account  of  the  murder.  It 
stated  that  about  eleven  o'clock  of  the  previous 
night  Arietta  Fogg  had  arrived  at  the  apartment 
house,  and  had  been  taken  to  her  rooms  by  the  ele 
vator  attendant.  A  half  hour  later  a  tall,  smooth 
faced,  white-haired  gentleman  arrived,  and  was 
shown  to  her  apartments.  This  man  was  seen  by 
the  watchman  to  leave  the  place  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  the  chambermaid  discovered  her 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  dead,  and  covered 
with  blood  from  several  stabs  in  the  body. 

Cold  perspiration  oozed  from  every  pore  of  my 
body  as  I  read  and  re-read  this  article,  over  and  over 
again.  I  was  puzzled,  dumbfounded,  horror-stricken. 
The  description  given  of  the  apparent  murderer 
tallied  exactly  with  myself.  Straining  every  nerve  I 
endeavored  to  regain  some  impression  that  might 
lead  to  a  knowledge  of  my  actions  from  the  time 
Arietta  left  me  the  night  before  until  I  had  recov 
ered  my  senses  that  day.  But  try  as  I  might,  I  could 
no  more  recall  to  memory  the  slightest  movement 
on  my  part  during  that  time  than  I  could  recollect 
any  event  which  happened  during  the  twenty-one 
years  of  which  my  life  had  been  a  blank. 

Like  a  man  under  the  influence  of  liquor  I  arose 
and  staggered  hurriedly  forward  until  I  reached  the 
"L"  station  where  I  boarded  a  train  and  rode  up  to 
Eighty-first  street.  Here  I  alighted  and  walked  rap 
idly  over  to  the  Seraglio  Apartments.  A  vast  crowd 
of  curious  people  was  collected  about  the  place, 
and  as  I  approached,  all  eyes  were  apparently  turned 
upon  me. 

Hastening  forward  I  bounded  up  the  entrance 
steps  and  almost  flew  into  the  vestibule.  There  were 


200  BORNAGAIN 

little  knots  of  people  standing  about  the  hallway, 
talking  in  low  tones.  Even  their  voices  hushed  as  I 
hurried  into  the  elevator  and  told  the  attendant  to 
take  me  up  to  the  eighth  floor.  The  operator  ap 
peared  to  be  almost  frightened  out  of  his  wits  at  the 
sight  of  me,  but  after  a  momentary  pause  he  ran  the 
elevator  to  the  eighth  floor,  peering  at  me  all  the 
time  as  he  might  have  eyed  a  wild  beast  who  was 
about  to  devour  him.  Many  people  were  in  the 
upper  hall-way,  but  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor 
to  the  left,  I  went  straight  to  the  door  of  the  room  I 
had  entered  the  night  I  had  taken  Arietta  home. 
Finding  it  locked,  without  a  moment's  hesitation  I 
threw  against  it,  all  of  the  force  my  gigantic  frame 
could  command  which  caused  it  to  give  way  and  fly 
open  before  me.  I  then  observed  that  there  were 
several  men  in  the  room,  in  different  positions  and 
groups,  as  if  making  a  study  of  the  surroundings. 
Lying  upon  the  bed,  in  the  room  adjoining,  was  the 
form  of  a  woman  partly  covered  by  a  spread,  and 
being  examined  by  a  man  who  might  have  been  the 
coroner.  As  I  rushed  forward  like  a  madman,  every 
one  there  became  frightened  and  made  way  for  me 
to  pass. 

Approaching  the  bed  I  eagerly  scanned  her  fea 
tures,  and  being  positive  of  her  identity  I  took  the 
inanimate  form  of  Arietta  in  my  arms  and  kissing 
her  tenderly,  was  overcome  by  emotion. 


CHAPTER  32 

Arrested  for  the  murder  of  Arietta  Fogg,  after 
being  positively  identified  by  the  elevator  attendant 
and  the  night  watchman  as  being  the  only  person 
who  visited  her  apartments  on  the  night  of  the  crime, 
was  the  next  incident  of  my  strange  career.  Thrown 
into  prison,  and  caged  like  a  savage  beast  in  a  little 
cell  hardly  large  enough  to  turn  around  in,  has  been 
my  lot  ever  since  that  awful  tragedy.  The  case  at 
tracted  widespread  interest,  and  the  newspapers 
teemed  with  sensational  accounts  of  it.  At  the  trial, 
all  of  the  evidence  pointed  directly  to  me  as  the 
perpetrator  of  the  deed.  The  elevator  operator  swore 
that  I  was  the  man  whom  he  had  taken  to  Arietta's 
apartments  shortly  after  eleven  o'clock  that  night. 
The  watchman  testified  that  he  saw  me  leave  her 
room  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  On  the  stand, 
I  was  made  to  tell,  under  oath,  that  Arietta  and  I  had 
been  lovers;  that  we  had  been  together  that  same 
night  in  the  park,  and  had  parted  at  about  half  past 
ten  o'clock;  that  she  had  informed  me  of  her  inten 
tion  to  never  see  me  again.  By  these  statements  the 
prosecuting  attorney  showed  the  motive  for  the 
crime.  I  could  give  no  account  of  my  time  between 
half  past  ten  that  night  and  the  next  day  at  noon, 
which  was  another  strong  point  against  me.  I  had 
pleaded  not  guilty,  feeling  that  as  I  knew  nothing 
about  the  crime  I  could  not  very  wisely  do  other- 


202  BORNAGAIN 

wise,  but  also,  stating  that  I  had  suffered  a  tem 
porary  aberration  of  the  mind  during  that  time,  and 
that  if  I  really  did  commit  the  deed,  which  I  could 
not  believe  possible,  then  I  had  done  it  in  an  entire 
ly  different  character  or  personality  from  my  normal 
self. 

My  attorney  endeavored  to  have  me  sham  insanity 
during  the  trial,  and  he  became  irritably  insolent  in 
his  manner  toward  me  because  I  positively  refused 
to  do  so.  He  told  me  that  if  I  stuck  to  the  truth  I 
would  surely  be  convicted,  but  if  I  followed  his 
advice  by  openly  assuming  idiotic  tactics  in  court 
and  making  false  statements  under  oath,  according 
to  his  directions,  he  could  save  me  without  any 
trouble.  He  frequently  growled  and  cursed  at  me 
for  the  straightforward  way  that  I  gave  my  testi 
mony,  claiming  that  his  professional  reputation  was 
being  ruined  by  my  telling  the  truth.  He  privately 
acknowledged  that,  in  his  opinion,  I  was  guilty,  but 
that  if  he  were  successful  in  having  me  acquitted,  he 
would  achieve  great  fame  thereby,  and  incidentally 
be  able  to  increase  the  size  of  his  future  clients'  fees. 

It  was  proved  in  court — alas,  the  saddest  blow  I 
had  yet  received,  that  Arietta  was  a  frivolous  young 
woman,  who  practically  lived  a  life  of  ease  and 
luxury,  by  monetary  gifts  derived  from  two  wealthy 
men,  one  a  United  States  Senator  and  the  other  a 
prominent  Wall  Street  financier.  That  was  the  most 
painful  testimony  of  the  whole  proceedings.  It  did 
not  seem  possible  to  me  that  the  dear,  sweet,  inno 
cent  girl,  whom  I  had  loved  so  much  for  her  gentle 
ness  and  kindness  of  nature,  could  possibly  lead  such 
a  dual  existence,  and  I  could  not  understand  why 
she  should  have  deceived  me,  with  accounts  of  her- 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  203 

self  so  at  variance  with  the  facts.  When  I  thought 
of  her  as  she  had  always  appeared  to  me,  excepting 
those  times  when  I  saw  her  under  the  influence  of 
liquor,  she  seemed  like  a  good  angel,  who  was  far 
beyond  even  the  suspicion  of  reproach;  and  so  when 
I  learned  the  worst,  I  pictured  her  at  her  best,  and 
my  love  remained  unshaken.  While  I  realized  that 
it  was  the  poor  girl's  weakness  that  led  her  into 
temptation,  still  it  was  plain  to  discern  that  the  cause 
of  her  downfall  was  money  and  the  miserable  crea 
tures  who  utilized  it  to  buy  her  very  life's  blood  and 
drag  her  along  the  mire  of  shame.  The  poor  girl  is 
dead,  but  the  great  men,  through  whose  efforts  she 
was  disgraced,  are  still  alive,  and  are  considered  emi 
nently  respectable  by  the  community. 

The  curse  of  money  could  not  have  been  more 
forcibly  demonstrated  than  by  this  incident.  The 
unfortunate  young  woman  craved  money,  and  sold 
herself  for  it.  My  deepest  sympathy  goes  after  her  to 
the  grave.  The  ringer  of  scorn  is  now  raised  against 
Arietta  by  the  whole  world,  but  if  she  could  be 
brought  back  to  life  again,  I  should  gladly  take  her 
by  the  hand  and  say,  that  my  love  for  her  was  as 
strong  as  ever,  and  that  I  would  defend  her  against 
the  insults  of  the  depraved  society  which  reared  and 
educated  her  in  the  vices  which  it  now  deplores. 

It  took  the  jury  just  forty-five  minutes  to  reach  a 
decision  against  me,  by  bringing  in  a  verdict  of 
murder  in  the  first  degree.  My  sentence  was  that  I 
pay  the  penalty  of  the  crime  with  my  life  by  being 
electrocuted. 

The  trial  was  severe  and  brutal  from  beginning 
to  end,  from  my  point  of  view.  I  was  bullied  by  the 


204  BORN     AGAIN 

prosecutor,  scathingly  censured  by  the  judge,  libelled 
by  the  press,  cursed  by  the  public,  and  deserted  by 
my  own  attorney.  I  was  treated  like  a  cowardly 
beast  of  the  most  depraved  type. 

But  with  all  the  abuse  that  was  heaped  upon  me, 
I  endured  it  without  a  murmur,  calmly  claiming 
that  I  was  not  responsible  for  the  deed,  but  perfectly 
willing  to  take  any  punishment  the  law  meted  out 
to  me.  There  was  one  thing,  however,  which  stood 
out  prominently  amidst  the  many  shoals  of  my  mis 
fortune,  which  made  me  feel  that  I  had  not  lived  in 
vain.  My  faithful  little  band  of  followers,  whom  I  had 
taught  the  principles  of  Natural  Law,  remained 
loyal  to  me  until  the  very  end.  Not  one  member  of 
the  society  was  there  who  would  believe  that  I  was 
guilty  of  such  an  atrocious  crime.  They  insisted 
that  there  was  some  mistake,  and  spent  much  time 
and  money  in  trying  to  ferret  out  the  mystery.  They 
called  upon  me  as  often  as  the  prison  regulations 
would  permit,  and  amid  scenes  that  were  touching, 
protested  their  undying  fidelity  to  me  and  the  cause 
I  espoused.  Each  individual  promised  most  solemnly 
to  carry  on  the  work  I  had  begun  as  long  as  his  life 
lasted,  and  I  feel  sure  that,  although  the  end  of  my 
time  is  drawing  near,  the  work  entrusted  to  me  by 
the  great  Sagewoman  is  born  again,  and  will  grow 
to  huge  proportions  as  time  passes  on. 


And  so  I  have  come  to  the  end  of  my  story.  To 
morrow  I  must  die.  In  writing  this  book,  I  have 
tried  to  confine  myself  exclusively  to  the  truth.  I 
have  felt  all  along,  however,  my  inability  to  do  the 
subject  justice.  There  are  many  things  that  the 


BORNAGAIN  205 

great  Sagewoman  tried  to  impress  upon  me  which 
my  little  brain  was  not  strong  enough  to  grasp. 
There  are  also  many  things  which  are  perfectly  clear 
in  my  mind,  that  I  have  been  unable  to  convey  to 
others,  but  I  have  done  my  best,  and  that  is  all  that 
can  be  expected  of  any  one.  I  should  like  to  have 
given  more  attention  to  the  arrangement  of  this 
work,  but  unfortunately  the  time  allowed  me  has 
been  very  short,  and  I  have  had  to  rush  it  along  in 
order  to  complete  it.  I  have  produced  this  treatise 
while  confined  within  my  cell  in  the  death-house, 
and  therefore  have  had  many  disadvantages  to  con 
tend  with.  I  shall  give  the  manuscript  to  the  little 
body  of  men  and  women  who  are  banded  together 
and  known  as  the  Natural  Law  Society,  of  which  I 
had  the  honof  to  be  the  founder,  with  the  under 
standing  that  it  will  be  published  and  distributed 
at  the  earliest  possible  date.  I  could  wish  that  the 
reader  might  peruse  the  contents  of  this  work  a 
second  time,  if  it  is  not  asking  too  much;  at  least 
that  lie  might  go  over  carefully  and  thoughtfully 
that  portion  of  it  which  contains  the  teachings  of 
the  great  Sagewoman.  While  I  probably  have  failed 
to  present  clearly  much  of  the  great  wisdom  directly 
received  from  her  magnificent  brain,  there  may  arise 
in  the  future,  wise  men,  who  will  be  capable  of 
reading  in  these  lines  much  more  than  even  I,  who 
write  them,  am  able  to  comprehend.  It  is  my  one 
hope  that  great  men  will  spring  up  in  the  future 
and  take  hold  of  this  work  —  men  with  minds  so 
strong,  so  broad,  so  courageous,  and  so  unselfish, 
that  they  will  be  willing  to  devote  their  lives  to  the 
noble  task  of  trying  to  put  the  whole  human  race 
on  a  footing  of  equality.  There  can  be  no  equality 


206  BORNAGAIN 

so  long  as  those  who  are  strong  want  to  take  more  of 
nature's  gifts  than  those  who  are  weak,  and  no  man 
can  ever  be  great  who  thinks  that  one  human  being 
is  entitled  to  more  than  another.  That  is  selfishness. 
Selfishness  and  greatness  are  the  extreme  opposites. 


This  is  my  last  day  on  earth,  to  use  a  common 
but  erroneous  expression.  At  noon  today  my  soul 
will  be  separated  from  its  body  by  the  hand  of  man, 
acting  according  to  a  most  unnatural,  diabolical, 
and  murderous  law.  And  the  poor  unfortunate 
creature,  who  actually  slays  me,  will  do  so,  not  be 
cause  he  has  a  thirst  for  blood,  but  for  money.  Money 
furnished  by  the  State  —  a  Christian  civilization 
which  bred  and  reared  us  both. 

I  am  now  forty-four  years  old,  and  have  just 
reached  the  threshold  of  mental  strength.  As  I  am 
in  perfect  condition  physically,  and  have  a  splendid 
constitution  as  a  foundation,  there  is  no  good  reason 
why  I  could  not  have  lived  at  least  forty  years  more. 
Forty  years  longer  could  I  have  served  the  world  at 
my  very  best,  but  my  fellow  beings  have  decided  to 
kill  me,  right  at  a  time  when  I  could  have  been  of 
the  most  use  to  them.  I  am  really  sorry  that  I  must 
die,  not  because  I  fear  death,  but  because  my  oppor 
tunity  to  do  good  to  others  is  taken  from  me.  Twenty- 
two  years  ago  I  was  anxious  to  die,  aye  even  by  my 
own  hand.  I  thought  that  there  was  nothing  to  live 
for  at  that  time.  But  the  beautiful  teachings  of  the 
great  Sagewoman  awakened  new  ideas  of  responsi 
bility  within  me,  and  now  I  can  see  that  the  grand 
est  thing  within  the  reach  of  a  human  being  is  to 
live;  live  as  long  as  nature  will  allow;  live  for  others. 


BORNAGAIN  207 

If  I  should  pray  my  one  request  of  the  Creator 
would  be  that  I  might  live  out  my  life,  in  order  to 
spread  the  principles  of  Natural  Law  to  the  further 
most  corners  of  the  earth;  or,  that  I  might  be  born 
again  in  a  well-constructed  body,  with  a  mind  cap 
able  of  grasping  nature's  ideas  in  their  entirety,  and 
interpreting  them  to  my  fellow  men  in  a  way  that 
could  not  be  misunderstood.  If  the  Creator  would 
grant  me  this  request,  and  I  could  have  the  ability 
and  the  powrer  to  change  the  conditions  of  the  earth 
to  those  existing  in  Sageland  before  the  Catastrophe, 
I  would  gladly  give  in  exchange  for  the  privilege, 
my  eternal  soul  as  a  sacrifice,  and  take  upon  myself 
everlastingly,  all  of  the  misery,  suffering,  and  torture 
now  inflicted  upon  the  rest  of  mankind. 

Good-bye,  dear  reader,  and  may  your  soul  always 
guide  you. 

END  OF  JOHN  CONVERT'S  WORK. 


Epilogue  on  following  pages. 


EPILOGUE 


FROM  THE;  NEW  YORK  DAILY 

(Special  Despatch:) 

"SiNG  SING,  N.  Y.,  11  A.  M. — Electrocution  day 
here  always  attracts  many  curious  people  about 
the  prison  walls,  but  the  much  heralded  execution 
of  John  Convert  seems  to  have  brought  an  unusual 
number  of  persons  to  this  neighborhood,  and  the 
hill  overlooking  the  prison  is  almost  black  with 
people,  who  have  come  from  all  parts  of  the  State. 

"Viewed  from  this  hill,  Sing  Sing  prison  presents 
the  appearance  of  a  huge,  square  pen,  covering 
many  acres  of  land,  and  enclosed  by  a  high,  brick 
wall  on  the  three  land  sides,  and  a  tall,  iron  picket 
fence  on  the  side  adjoining  the  Hudson  River. 

"On  the  top  of  these  walls,  sentinels  are  stationed 
at  intervals,  who  walk  back  and  forth,  armed  with 
breech-loading  rifles,  and  under  orders  to  shoot  dead 
any  prisoner  attempting  to  escape. 

"Within  the  enclosure,  at  the  north  end,  are  sev 
eral  red  brick  buildings,  which  are  used  as  work 
shops  for  the  twelve  hundred  time  prisoners,  now 
incarcerated  here.  Running  along  its  eastern  border 
is  a  massive  stone  structure,  about  seven  hundred 
feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide,  and  sixty  feet  high,  with 
windows  crated  by  heavy,  iron  bars.  This  is  the 
main  building  of  the  prison,  and  is  used  principally 


BORNAGAIN  209 

as  a  dormitory  for  the  inmates  and  offices  for  those 
who  have  charge  of  the  institution. 

"The  extreme  south  end  of  the  main  building  is 
walled  off  separately,  and  occupied  exclusively  by 
prisoners  whom  the  State  has  doomed  to  death.  This 
place  is  called  the  Death  Chamber.  Inside  of  this 
chamber  is  a  high  steel  cage,  four  tiers  high,  and 
divided  into  several  cells,  wThich  are  about  eight  by 
six  feet  in  dimension.  Thick,  cement  walls,  floor, 
and  ceiling,  make  each  cell  separate  and  distinct 
from  the  others.  Heavy  doors  of  barred  steel  open 
outward  onto  the  different  platforms,  which  run 
all  the  way  around  the  inside  of  the  cage.  Armed 
patrolmen,  known  as  death  guards,  are  kept  con 
stantly  walking  around  these  platforms.  Within 
this  cage  is  John  Convert  and  many  other  notorious 
murderers,  waiting  their  turns  to  be  put  to  death, 
as  punishment  for  their  heinous  crimes. 

"At  the  south  end  of  the  Death  Chamber  is  a 
solid  iron  door,  which  leads  into  an  adjoining  little 
red  brick  building,  about  fifty  by  twenty  feet  in 
dimension,  one  story  high,  and  containing  two 
rooms.  These  rooms  are  perfectly  bare,  excepting 
that  in  one  of  them  there  is  a  chair,  and  in  the  other 
a  table.  About  ten  feet  from  the  door  leading  from 
the  Death  Chamber  is  the  electric  chair,  by  which 
the  State  kills  its  worst  criminals.  In  appearance  it 
is  similar  to  a  plain,  old-fashioned  garden  arm-chair, 
with  a  high  back.  Connected  to  this  chair  are  sev 
eral  straps,  by  which  the  condemned  man  is  har 
nessed  in  a  sitting  position,  so  that  he  cannot  move. 
These  straps  are  adjusted  across  the  head,  chest, 
abdomen,  both  fore  and  upper  arms  and  the  ankles. 
They  are  not  bound  too  tightly,  but  left  taut  in 


210  BORN     AGAIN 

order  to  allow  for  the  expansion  of  the  body.  The 
electro  connections  are  at  the  head  and  the  inside 
of  the  right  calf,  the  trousers  being  cut  from  the 
knee  downward,  so  that  a  contact  can  be  made  with 
the  bare  flesh.  Just  back  of  the  chair  is  a  large 
closet,  which  conceals  all  of  the  electrical  apparatus 
necessary  to  throw  on  or  off  the  current  at  the  will 
of  the  Electrician,  by  whose  hand  the  condemned 
man  is  sent  to  eternity.  Stationed  within  the  closet, 
the  Electrocutioner  can  see  what  is  going  on  outside, 
but  cannot  be  seen  from  without.  Just  back  of  the 
closet  is  a  partition  dividing  the  two  rooms,  through 
which  is  a  door  leading  into  it.  In  the  center  of  this 
other  room  is  a  stationary  table,  upon  which  the 
autopsy  is  performed. 

"All  of  the  machinery  has  been  thoroughly  tested, 
and  found  to  be  in  good  running  order,  and  neither 
the  State's  Electrician  nor  the  Warden  expect  the 
slightest  hitch  in  connection  with  today's  proceed 
ings.  The  twelve  witnesses  invited  by  the  Warden, 
and  made  necessary  by  law,  together  with  the  brain 
experts,  have  arrived  upon  the  scene,  and  everything 
is  in  complete  readiness  for  the  electrocution  of 
John  Convert." 


FROM  THE  NEW  YORK  DAILY 

(Special  Despatch:} 

"SiNG  SING,  N.  Y.,  1:15  P.  M. — One  of  the  strang 
est  and  most  pathetic  tragedies  that  has  ever  hap 
pened  in  the  State  of  New  York  has  just  taken  place 
within  the  house  of  electrocution  here,  the  result  of 
which  must  cause  the  whole  civilized  world  to  pause 
and  shudder.  Your  correspondent  earnestly  prays 


BORN     AGAIN  211 

that  he  may  never  again  be  called  upon  to  witness 
another  such  horror,  the  effects  of  which  have  com 
pletely  unnerved  him  and  beggars  even  a  faint  de 
scription. 

"At  precisely  twelve  o'clock  today,  with  the  State 
Electrician,  medical  experts,  and  witnesses,  mutely 
stationed  in  their  places,  the  great  iron  door  leading 
from  the  Death  Chamber  was  suddenly  swung  open, 
and  between  two  guards  the  gigantic  form  of  John 
Convert  walked  over  to  the  electric  chair,  with  a 
firm  and  unfaltering  step.  Immediately,  all  eyes 
were  turned  upon  him,  and  at  the  same  instant  there 
was  a  subdued  murmur  of  surprise  by  many  of  those 
present  at  the  magnificent  appearance  of  the  man. 

"Tall  and  erect,  with  finely  formed  limbs,  and 
powerfully  built  shoulders,  he  easily  towered  above 
all  of  the  other  occupants  of  the  room.  With  a  clean 
shaven  face,  the  handsome  features  of  which  ex 
pressed  extraordinary  intelligence,  kindness,  and 
gentleness  of  nature,  combined  with  wonderful 
strength  of  character,  and  a  shapely  head,  overhung 
by  an  abundance  of  beautiful  snow-white  hair,  he 
looked  more  like  an  ambassador  from  heaven  than 
a  convicted  murderer.  He  wore  a  black  Prince 
Albert  suit  of  clothes.  As  he  reached  the  side  of  the 
chair  he  paused,  and  calmly  looking  from  one  to 
the  other  of  the  assemblage,  he  began  to  address 
them  in  a  clear  and  melodious  voice.  Almost  from 
the  first  utterance,  his  hearers  became  electrified  by 
his  charming  manner  and  eloquence,  and  for  nearly 
half  an  hour  were  held  spellbound,  while  he  ex 
plained  the  principles  of  Natural  Law,  and  the  vast 
benefits  the  human  race  could  derive  by  putting 
them  into  effect. 


212  BORN    AGAIN 

"In  a  convincing  way  he  drew  a  beautiful  picture 
upon  the  minds  of  those  present  of  a  heaven  that 
should  be  established  here  on  earth  by  and  for  all 
living  things,  in  which  they  should  work  unitedly 
and  harmoniously  together  for  a  common  and  un 
selfish  cause,  instead  of  each  one  pulling  in  a  differ 
ent  direction  for  his  own  selfish  purposes.  He  ex 
plained  that  all  living  things  were  composed  of  the 
same  material,  which  was  constantly  undergoing  a 
change  from  life  to  death  and  from  death  to  life  by 
being  moulded  and  remoulded  into  different  forms, 
which  are  constructed  according  to  the  intelligence 
absorbed  by  the  whole.  That  it  is  within-  the  power 
of  the  human  race,  if  working  together  as  a  unit,  to 
reconstruct  all  living  matter  on  earth  into  more 
perfect  organisms,  just  as  it  is  within  the  power  of 
man  to  re-mould  a  pile  of  dead  scrap  iron  into  new 
and  useful  machinery.  That  these  results  could 
only  be  accomplished  by  the  eradication  of  selfish 
ness  from  the  human  race,  and  that  it  was  impossible 
to  extinguish  selfishness  as  long  as  the  money  system 
was  kept  in  force,  and  individuals  were  recompensed 
according  to  their  craftiness  to  help  themselves.  He 
told  of  the  soul  being  everlasting,  and  how  a  wise 
law  of  nature  breaks  the  monotony  of  its  existence 
through  the  process  of  re-incarnation,  and  that  the 
soul  of  the  rich  aristocrat  of  today  may  be  the  soul 
of  the  suckling  pig  tomorrow.  He  said  that  it  was 
within  the  power  of  every  living  thing  to  do  good, 
if  only  following  the  advice  of  the  soul,  and  that  the 
oftener  this  advice  was  taken  the  easier  it  became 
to  do  right,  but  that  the  less  the  soul's  warning  was 
heeded,  the  more  hardened  and  vile  became  the 
nature  of  the  individual.  He  told  of  how  children 


213 

inherit  the  weaknesses  of  their  parents,  and  men 
tioned  how  much  grander  it  is  for  parents  to  give 
their  children  character  without  gold,  than  to  give 
them  gold  without  character. 

"So  earnestly  and  pathetically  did  he  present  the 
whole  subject,  that  at  the  conclusion  of  his  discourse 
there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  room,  and  as  he 
calmly  took  his  seat  in  the  electric  chair,  the  whole 
assemblage,  including  the  guards,  stood  motionless 
for  several  moments  as  if  in  a  hypnotic  trance.  And 
then,  as  the  guards  reluctantly  began  to  adjust  the 
straps  about  his  body,  three  men  burst  into  loud 
sobs  and  rushed  from  the  room,  bitterly  denouncing 
the  electrocution  as  savagery,  and  refusing  to  wit 
ness  the  proceedings  any  further.  With  the  excep 
tion  of  the  condemned  man,  everybody  was  com 
pletely  unstrung.  But  John  Convert,  in  the  shadow 
of  death,  did  not  lose  his  wonderful  self-control  for 
a  moment,  but  sat  with  perfect  equipoise  in  that 
murderous  chair,  calmly  watching  with  apparent 
interest  the  work  of  fastening  him  in. 

'You  have  that  strap  around  the  abdomen 
twisted,'  he  coolly  remarked  to  one  of  the  excited 
guards,  and  then  quietly  added,  'you  are  not  suffi 
ciently  hardened  for  this  kind  of  work,  my  man,  but 
perhaps  your  children  may  be.'  And  as  if  stung  by 
remorse  at  these  words,  the  guard  suddenly  burst 
into  a  frenzy  of  grief  and  cried  out  in  piteous  tones: 
'No,  no!  Don't  say  that!  I  love  my  children.  I  under 
took  this  objectionable  work  for  their  sakes,  that  I 
might  be  able  to  give  them  the  same  advantages  that 
other  children  enjoy.  But  now  that  you  have  spoken, 
I  can  see  that  I  am  paying  for  their  advantages  at 
the  expense  of  their  moral  characters,  and  that  they 


214  BORN     AGAIN 

too  might  follow  in  my  miserable  footsteps  and, 
eventually  sell  themselves  for  money.  But  listen,  I 
have  but  just  taken  this  position,  and  now  I  am 
getting  my  first  experience  at  this  kind  of  work,  and 
I  feel  as  if  I  were  about  to  commit  murder.  And 
now,  after  hearing  your  wonderful  words,  my  con 
science  is  crying  out  within  me  to  stop,  and  so,  in 
the  presence  of  these  witnesses,  I  not  only  renounce 
all  further  connection  with  this  abominable  act, 
but  I  most  solemnly  swear  that  I  believe  in  Natural 
Law,  and  that  I  shall  henceforth  devote  my  life  to 
teaching  its  principles  to  my  own  children,  and  also 
to  those  of  my  fellow  beings.  My  eyes  have  suddenly 
been  opened.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  feel  like 
a  man.' 

"At  this  unexpected  turn  of  affairs,  the  counte 
nance  of  John  Convert  lighted  up  with  a  look  of 
divine  happiness  that  was  truly  glorious  to  behold, 
and,  addressing  the  guard,  he  said:  'Well  spoken, 
my  noble  man.  May  you  accumulate  sufficient 
strength  to  enable  you  to  faithfully  follow  out  your 
splendid  resolution;  may  your  future  deeds  be  so 
unselfish,  heroic,  and  fruitful,  towards  uplifting 
mankind,  that  the  grandchildren  of  your  enemies 
may  live  to  praise  your  name.' 

"These  words  seemed  to  have  a  cheering  effect 
upon  the  guard,  who  affectionately  shook  the  hand 
of  Convert,  and  then  left  the  room. 

"During  this  time,  however,  the  other  guard  had 
continued  the  work  of  adjusting  the  straps,  and 
finally  having  them  properly  arranged,  stepped 
backward  a  few  feet  and  raised  his  left  arm  as  a  sign 
to  the  Electrocutioner  in  the  closet  that  everything 


BORN     AGAIN  215 

was  in  readiness.  And  then,  just  as  John  Convert 
uttered  the  words,  'Always  Consult  Your  Soul  for 
Advice,'  a  terrible,  dull,  buzzing  sound  took  the 
place  of  his  voice,  his  body  suddenly  expanded,  as 
if  about  to  burst,  his  limbs  were  drawn  up  and  dis 
torted,  blue  flames  shot  forth  with  a  weird  glow,  a 
sickening  odor  of  burning  flesh  saturated  the  air, 
and  quicker  than  it  takes  to  tell,  the  deadly  current 
had  penetrated  through  every  fibre  of  his  body. 

"And  then,  as  all  turned  away  their  heads  from 
the  awful  sight,  a  loud  crash  was  heard,  and  the  door 
leading  from  the  court-yard  into  the  other  room 
burst  open,  and  in  rushed  the  Warden,  yelling  like 
a  madman:  'Stop  it!  For  God's  sake,  stop  it!  You 
are  killing  the  wrong  man!'  And  pulling  open  the 
door  of  the  closet  which  concealed  the  Electrician,  he 
threw  off  the  current  with  his  own  hands.  At  the 
same  time,  amidst  great  confusion,  several  of  the 
spectators  rushed  forward  and  began  unfastening 
the  straps  which  bound  the  unfortunate  man  to  the 
chair,  after  which  the  body  was  carried  into  the 
other  room  and  laid  upon  the  table. 

"Following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Warden,  was  a 
tall,  beautiful,  young  woman,  hatless,  and  with  hair 
disheveled  and  dress  disarranged.  She  was  panting 
heavily,  and  a  wild,  terrified  look  gleamed  in  her 
eyes.  She  appeared  dazed  and  almost  exhausted. 
Catching  sight  of  Convert,  she  frantically  tried  to 
get  near  him,  but  was  held  in  check  by  one  of  the 
doctors,  while  the  other  one  made  a  hurried  exam 
ination  of  the  body.  And  then,  this  doctor,  appa 
rently  suffering  from  great  mental  excitement, 
turned  toward  those  present,  and,  with  his  eyes  full 
of  tears,  chokingly  whispered,  'Too  late,  he  is  dead.' 


216  BORN     AGAIN 

"At  these  terrible  words,  the  young  woman  ut 
tered  a  heart-piercing  shriek,  and,  rushing  forward, 
threw  herself  upon  the  corpse,  as  she  piteously 
moaned:  'You  have  murdered  him.  You  have  mur 
dered  him.'  " 


FROM  THE  NEW  YORK  DAILY. 

"The  following  statement,  made  by  one  of  Chi 
cago's  most  beautiful  and  brilliant  young  society 
women,  is  the  sequel  to  the  most  extraordinary  case 
that  ever  attracted  public  attention  in  this  country: 
'  'My  name  is  Arietta  Wright.  My  father  is  R.  U. 
Wright,  of  Chicago,  111.,  the  well-known  financier 
and  multi-millionaire.  A  few  years  ago,  while  in 
Paris,  I  was  introduced  to  a  man  by  the  name  of 
John  Convert.  I  supposed  he  was  an  American,  but 
at  that  time  did  not  take  enough  interest  in  him  to 
inquire  as  to  who  he  was  or  where  he  came  from. 
Later,  however,  I  found  that  he  was  continually 
crossing  my  path,  and  appeared  anxious  to  court 
my  attention.  He  was  a  tall,  well-built,  handsome 
man,  with  a  clean-shaven  face  and  snow-white  hair, 
apparently  about  forty  years  old.  But  there  was 
something  about  his  looks  and  actions  that  I  did  not 
like,  and  I  tried  to  avoid  him  as  much  as  possible. 
But  he  was  not  to  be  avoided  very  easily,  and,  after 
persistently  following  me  all  over  Europe,  he  crossed 
the  ocean  in  the  same  steamer,  and  finally  came  to 
my  home  in  Chicago.  He  got  to  be  such  a  nuisance 
that  he  was  refused  admittance  to  our  house,  and  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  him  entirely,  I  secretly  left  Chi 
cago  and  went  abroad  again.  A  few  months  after- 


BORN     AGAIN  217 

ward  I  returned  home,  and  found  that  he  had  left 
for  parts  unknown,  and  the  incident  was  soon  for 
gotten. 

'  'During  the  month  of  March,  1903,  about  two 
and  a  half  years  later,  important  business  called  my 
father  to  New  York  for  a  stay  of  several  months, 
and  mother  and  I,  accompanying  him,  we  took 
apartments  at  the  Opulent  Hotel,  on  Broadway, 
near  Seventy-eighth  street. 

'  'About  that  time  I  decided  to  visit  the  different 
institutions  of  New  York,  and  one  day  as  I  was  being 
shown  through  a  charity  ward  of  the  Ruff  Hospital, 
I  was  astonished  to  see  John  Convert  lying  sick  upon 
one  of  the  cots.  He  had  a  wild  and  peculiar  stare  in 
his  eyes  and  at  first  gave  no  sign  of  recognition,  but 
seemed  to  be  undergoing  an  intense  mental  strain, 
as  if  trying  to  recall  to  mind  some  event  that  had 
escaped  his  memory.  The  doctor  informed  me  that 
he  was  an  unidentified  charity  patient  suffering  with 
typhoid  fever  and  was  evidently  insane.  He  told  me 
that  the  man  imagined  he  had  been  in  a  trance  for 
over  four  thousand  years,  and  could  only  be  brought 
out  of  it  by  a  kiss  from  one  he  called  Arietta.  My 
heart  seemed  to  melt  with  pity  and  sorrow,  and  my 
dislike  changed  into  love  for  the  man  upon  hearing 
these  words,  and  without  hesitation  I  kissed  him, 
at  the  same  time  hoping  most  sincerely  that  the  act 
would  have  a  salutary  effect.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  whole  expression  of  his  countenance  changed 
instantly  as  if  by  some  magic  force;  his  eyes  lighted 
up  radiantly,  and  looking  at  me  in  great  astonish 
ment  he  uttered  my  name — Arietta.  But  while  I 
was  quite  elated  over  my  strange  success,  I  was  also 


218  BORN     AGAIN 

much  surprised  and  puzzled  at  his  following  utter 
ances,  whereby  he  claimed  that  I  was  the  re-incarn 
ated  soul  of  Arietta  of  Sageland,  who,  according  to 
his  story,  had  died  on  the  same  day  I  was  born,  over 
twenty-one  years  before,  and  from  which  time  he 
could  form  no  recollection  of  events  whatever. 

'  'Subsequently,  I  was  informed  by  an  eminent 
brain  specialist,  who  examined  him,  that  he  was 
mentally  sound,  but  that  owing  to  a  severe  fracture 
of  the  skull  received  some  time  previously  his  brain 
had  become  divided  into  two  distinct  parts,  causing 
two  personalities  to  exist  and  enabling  him  to  recol 
lect  events  only  as  they  were  separately  recorded  on 
either  side  of  the  brain.  By  this  explanation  I 
readily  understood  the  reason  why  he  did  not  rec 
ognize  me  and  also  for  the  wonderful  change  which 
took  place,  both  in  his  character  and  my  feelings 
toward  him.  On  that  day  my  first  and  last  love  for 
man  was  born. 

'  'As  time  passed  by,  and  he  recovered  his  health 
and  strength,  he  appeared  to  me  the  most  beautiful 
character  I  had  ever  known,  and  with  each  succeed 
ing  day  my  love  for  him  grew  stronger.  But  while 
love  formed  a  strong  mutual  link  of  attachment  be 
tween  us,  another  force  succeeded  in  putting  vis 
apart. 

'  'He  believed  in  Natural  Law  and  unselfishness, 
with  equal  rights  for  both  strong  and  weak  alike. 
I  believed  in  financialism  and  selfishness,  with  the 
strong  enjoying  more  earthly  blessings  than  the 
weak. 

'  'He  believed  in  a  Supreme  Being,  who  created 
immutable  laws  whereby  the  entire  machinery  of 


BORN     AGAIN  219 

the  universe  is  governed.   I  believed  in  earthly  con 
ditions  to  suit  my  fancies. 

'  'He  believed  in  re-incarnation,  and  the  power 
of  the  soul  to  eventually  master  the  flesh  and  create 
a  heaven  on  earth.  I  believed  in  the  transmigration 
of  the  soul  to  some  obscure  heaven  where  there 
would  be  nothing  farther  to  do  but  rest  during  all 
eternity. 

'  'He  was  broad  in  his  views  and  never  tried  to 
restrain  me  from  thinking  as  I  liked.  I  wras  narrow 
in  mine,  and  quite  unwilling  that  he  should  believe 
in  any  theory  except  my  own. 

"  'These  and  other  differences  of  opinion  caused 
us  to  separate. 

'  'One  night  last  June,  the  same  night  that  awful 
murder  took  place  in  the  Seraglio  Apartments,  I 
met  John  Convert  at  our  regular  meeting  place  in 
Central  Park  for  the  last  time.  It  was  my  habit  to 
meet  him  in  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the  park, 
because  I  did  not  want  my  parents  or  friends  to 
know  of  it.  For  this  same  reason,  I  had  never  told 
him  my  last  name  or  place  of  residence.  At  this 
meeting,  I  informed  him  that  he  must  either  give 
up  all  further  connection  with  the  movement  he 
had  instituted  toward  the  regeneration  of  mankind, 
or  bid  me  good-bye  forever.  He  chose  the  latter 
course,  although  I  know  that  his  heart  was  fairly 
bursting  with  grief  when  I  left  him. 

'  'Now,  that  it  is  too  late,  I  can  fully  appreciate 
what  a  grand,  noble  fellow  he  was.  I  offered  him  a 
million  dollars  to  forsake  the  cause  he  had  pledged 
himself  to  uphold.  Think  of  it,  one  million  dollars! 
A  sum  of  money  for  wrhich  most  civilized  men  would 


220  BORNAGAIN 

gladly  sell  their  eternal  souls.  But  John  Convert, 
a  believer  in  Natural  Law,  could  not  be  bought  at 
any  price,  and  even  though  I  offered  him  my  hand 
in  marriage,  an  offering  which  many  Crown  Princes 
of  Europe  have  repeatedly  begged  for,  still  he  would 
not  recede  from  the  grand  purpose  he  had  under 
taken. 

'Well,  we  parted,  and  the  next  morning  I 
boarded  a  steamer  bound  for  Europe.  But  I  was 
wretched  and  unhappy,  and  felt  that  life  was  a  bur 
den  to  me.  I  was  unable  to  drive  the  image  of  John 
Convert  out  of  my  mind,  and  as  I  stood  upon  the 
deck  of  the  steamer,  as  it  passed  along  the  river 
leading  to  the  ocean.  I  looked  back  toward  New 
York,  and  fancied  I  could  see  poor  John  standing 
alone,  and  forlorn,  upon  one  of  the  docks,  with  his 
arms  outstretched,  sadly  imploring  me  to  return, 
and  with  a  feeling  of  remorse  I  started  for  my  state 
room  to  lie  down  and  have  a  good  cry. 

'  'As  I  hurried  along  the  dark  passageway, 
leading  to  my  room,  I  was  almost  startled  out  of  my 
senses  by  coming  face  to  face  with  the  very  man  I 
thought  I  had  left  behind,  John  Convert.  He  ap 
peared  to  be  even  more  startled  than  myself,  and, 
stepping  backward  a  few  paces,  he  fairly  trembled, 
as  he  hoarsely  exclaimed:  'My  God,  Arietta,  is  that 
really  you?'  At  these  words  I  became  frightened,  and 
as  the  faint  rays  of  light  from  a  distant  port-hole  fell 
squarely  upon  his  face,  I  observed  a  wild,  peculiar 
stare  in  his  eyes,  and  noticed  that  his  whole  coun 
tenance  was  overcast  by  a  most  villainous  expres 
sion.  At  that  moment,  I  remembered  the  doctor's 
warning  words,  that  he  might  change  personalities 
at  any  time  that  he  was  subjected  to  severe  mental 


BORN     AGAIN  221 

excitement,  and  I  now  recognized  in  the  man  stand 
ing  before  me  the  same  character  I  had  met  in  Paris. 
Just  as  quickly  as  love  had  taken  possession  of  my 
feelings  for  John  Convert  in  the  hospital,  just  that 
suddenly  did  it  depart  when  I  saw  this  detestable 
looking  creature  in  front  of  me.  In  an  instant  he 
became  loathsome  to  my  sight,  and  without  waiting 
for  another  word  I  rushed  into  my  state-room  and 
bolted  the  door. 

'  'Not  once  did  I  leave  my  room  during  that  trip 
across  the  ocean,  but  when  the  steamer  arrived  at 
Liverpool,  and  I  started  to  go  ashore,  the  very  first 
person  my  eyes  rested  upon  was  John  Convert;  and 
from  that  time  on  he  incessantly  dogged  my  foot 
steps  all  over  Europe.  The  more  I  saw  of  him,  the 
more  debased  and  despicable  he  appeared  to  me. 
The  good,  kind,  old  face,  that  I  had  loved  so  well, 
had  now  apparently  become  distorted  by  a  murder 
ous  expression,  and  the  soulful  eyes  which  had  in 
toxicated  me  with  ecstasy,  now  depicted  the  nature 
of  a  degenerate.  I  shunned  him  as  I  would  a  leper, 
and  many  times  I  wished  that  I  had  left  him  to  die 
in  the  hospital,  instead  of  aiding  him  to  recover. 
He  became  so  objectionable  to  my  sight,  that  I 
threatened  to  have  him  arrested  if  he  did  not  stop 
following  me  about.  But  this  had  no  effect  upon 
him  whatever,  and  after  three  long,  weary  months 
of  travel  on  the  continent,  in  which  I  attempted  to 
elude  him,  without  success,  I  finally  returned  to 
England  and  boarded  a  steamer  at  Southampton  for 
New  York.  I  fully  expected  to  see  John  Convert 
make  the  voyage  also,  but  to  my  surprise  and  great 
joy  I  saw  him  standing  on  the  pier  after  the  steamer 
had  left  her  moorings  and  was  steaming  away.  He 


222  BORNAGAIN 

stood  waving  his  hand  at  me,  and  I  watched  him 
until  beyond  the  range  of  vision,  then  went  down  to 
my  state-room,  with  a  feeling  of  relief,  as  though  a 
great  load  had  been  lifted  from  my  shoulders.  One 
of  the  first  things  that  attracted  my  attention  after 
entering  the  state-room,  was  a  large,  well-filled  en 
velope,  lying  upon  the  bed,  and  addressed  to  me. 
Tearing  it  open,  I  found  an  assortment  of  various 
documents,  among  which  was  the  following  letter.'  ' 


'  'My  dear  Arietta:  At  last  realizing  that  you  are 
beyond  my  reach  and  that  further  efforts  to  win  your 
love  would  be  useless,  and  feeling  that  after  all,  my 
affinity  is  not  really  you  but  she  whom  I  recently 
killed,  and  as  my  conscience  is  torturing  me  until 
I  can  find  no  rest  or  contentment  in  life,  I  have 
decided  to  avenge  the  many  crimes  I  have  commit 
ted  during  the  past  by  taking  my  own  life,  and  ere 
you  read  these  lines  I  shall  be  dead. 

"  'My  life  has  been  a  most  miserable  failure,  and 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  during  my  last  hours 
I  feel  a  strong  desire  to  try  and  make  amends, 
through  you,  to  the  man  I  have  been  impersonating 
for  many  years,  I  should  quietly  pass  out  of  exist 
ence  without  further  ado. 

"  'In  the  first  place  my  name  is  not  John,  but 
Edward  Convert,  son  of  Henry  Convert,  and  grand 
son  of  Peter  Convert,  who  many  years  ago  was  a 
wealthy  banker  of  London,  England. 

'  'My  grandfather  had  two  sons;  James,  the  elder, 
being  my  uncle,  and  Henry  the  younger,  my  father. 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  223 

'About  the  time  my  father  reached  maturity, 
both  he  and  my  uncle  fell  in  love  with  beautiful 
twin  sisters  of  a  poor  family,  and  in  due  course  of 
time  each  took  one  as  a  wife.  This  was  done  in  direct 
opposition  to  my  grandfather's  commands,  and  so 
incensed  did  he  become  over  the  affair,  that  when 
he  died  shortly  afterward,  it  was  found  that  he  had 
cut  them  both  off  with  a  mere  pittance,  while  the 
bulk  of  his  estate  which  was  valued  at  several  million 
pounds,  was  to  be  held  in  trust  until  the  eldest  son 
of  my  uncle  James  had  reached  maturity,  after 
which  it  was  to  be  delivered  to  him  intact. 

'  'At  that  time  neither  my  father  nor  uncle  had 
children,  and  being  of  different  temperaments — my 
uncle  a  pious  clergyman,  and  my  father  a  broker 
with  gambling  tendencies — they  soon  parted  and 
lost  track  of  each  other. 

'  'My  parents  emigrated  to  Canada  and  resided 
in  Toronto  for  some  years,  in  which  city  I  was  born. 
When  I  was  about  five  years  of  age  my  mother  died, 
and  a  short  time  later  my  father  moved  to  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  entered  into  the  brokerage  business  there. 
As  I  grew  up,  I  was  educated  with  the  sole  idea  that 
the  only  purpose  for  which  I  had  been  created  was 
to  get  money.  At  home  I  was  taught  by  my  father 
and  in  school  through  books  that  my  success  in  life 
would  be  judged  according  to  the  amount  of  money 
I  could  accumulate.  Was  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  I 
grew  up  to  worship  money  as  the  real  god,  and  to 
finally  sell  my  soul  for  it?  Oh,  the  terrible  curse  of 
money!  And  what  an  awful  crime  for  parents  to 
teach  their  children  to  love  it!  Had  I  not  been 
taught  from  infancy  to  crave  money,  I  might  have 
become  a  useful  member  of  the  human  family,  and 


224  BORNAGAIN 

utilized  my  brain  power  for  some  worthy  cause,  in 
stead  of  using  it  to  scheme,  cheat,  steal,  and  even 
murder,  in  order  that  I  might  obtain  it. 

"Well,  one  day  when  I  was  about  sixteen  years 
old,  my  father,  having  just  returned  from  one  of  his 
western  trips,  informed  me  that  he  had  accidentally 
run  across  his  brother  James,  the  clergyman,  in  a 
little  Kansas  town  named  Eden.  He  said  that  my 
uncle  told  him  that  his  wife  had  died  sixteen  years 
before,  while  giving  birth  to  an  only  son,  as  they 
were  crossing  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Subsequently  this 
son,  who  had  been  named  John,  ran  away  from 
home  when  he  was  but  eleven  years  old,  and  had 
never  been  seen  or  heard  of  since.  My  father  said 
that  Uncle  James  had  evidently  brooded  over  the 
matter  so  long  that  he  was  broken  down  in  health 
and  could  not  live  much  longer.  Then  he  showed 
me  a  picture  of  John  Convert,  when  he  was  ten  years 
old,  and  said  that  it  looked  exactly  like  me  at  that 
age.  Finally,  he  told  me  that  Cousin  John  was  the 
sole  heir  to  his  grandfather's  estate,  and  intimated 
that  it  would  be  a  splendid  stroke  of  business  for 
me  to  go  to  Eden  and  pretend  to  be  the  long-lost  son, 
and,  after  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-one,  claim 
the  estate  as  my  own.  My  father  told  me  that  as 
soon  as  he  heard  my  uncle's  story,  his  well-trained 
financial  brain  had  immediately  formulated  this 
excellent  plan,  and  consequently  he  led  my  uncle  to 
believe  that  he  had  no  children  of  his  own.  He  also 
ascertained  the  names  of  the  different  places  where 
my  uncle  had  lived  during  the  past,  and  proposed 
that  I  should  visit  these  localities  and  become  ac 
quainted  with  John's  old  playmates,  in  order  to 
acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  youthful  char- 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  225 

acteristics  and  any  other  useful  information  neces 
sary  to  carry  out  the  deception  successfully. 

'Well,  I  entered  into  the  plot  with  enthusiasm, 
and  within  six  months  presented  myself  to  Uncle 
James  as  his  son. 

'  'At  first  the  scheme  worked  to  perfection,  and 
there  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  little  town  of  Eden, 
where  the  Rev.  James  Convert  was  an  honored  and 
respected  citizen  of  the  community.  But  as  time  went 
by,  my  uncle  apparently  began  to  doubt  my  iden 
tity,  for  at  times  he  would  look  at  me  long  and 
searchingly,  and  then,  with  a  sorrowful  shake  of  the 
head,  would  remark  that  I  lacked  the  character  of 
the  boy  he  had  known  as  his  son.  So,  fearing  that 
he  might  ultimately  discover  the  fraud  and  foil  our 
plans,  my  father  and  I  jointly  murdered  him  by  a 
slow  process  of  poison.  Then,  with  the  necessary 
papers  in  my  possession,  and  plenty  of  reputable 
witnesses  from  Eden  to  swear  that  I  was  the  ac 
knowledged  son  of  the  Rev.  James  Convert,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  I  took  possession  of  my  grand 
father's  vast  estate  in  England. 

'  'But  the  fear  of  the  rightful  heir  turning  up 
sooner  or  later  to  expose  the  fraud  began  to  haunt 
me,  and,  feeling  my  insecurity  as  long  as  he  was  alive, 
I  began  a  long  and  tedious  search  for  John  Convert, 
which  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  cov 
ered  a  period  of  over  twenty-three  years,  with  the 
sole  purpose  of  killing  him  if  found. 

'  'In  the  meantime,  fearing  that  my  father  might 
become  conscience-stricken  sooner  or  later,  and 
make  a  confession  of  our  crime  to  the  authorities, 
I  killed  him  also;  and  of  the  three  murders,  of  which 


226  BORNAGAIN 

I  am  now  responsible,  I  feel  less  concern  over  my 
father's  death  than  of  the  other  two;  for  was  it  not 
from  him  that  I  inherited  the  instincts  to  lie,  cheat, 
steal,  and  murder  for  money,  and  by  his  instructions 
that  these  instincts  were  developed,  instead  of  being 
discouraged  from  infancy? 

'Well,  although  I  searched  in  nearly  every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  globe,  I  was  unable  to  find  even 
a  clue  to  my  missing  cousin,  but  during  that  time  a 
most  peculiar  affair  happened,  which  resulted  in 
my  killing  a  third  victim. 

'  'As  you  will  remember,  I  met  and  became  in 
fatuated  with  you  in  Paris  over  three  years  ago,  and 
then  followed  you  to  Chicago.  After  learning  that 
you  had  secretly  departed  for  Europe  again  in  order 
to  avoid  me,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  bother  you  no 
further,  and  taking  a  trip  in  the  opposite  direction 
I  spent  considerable  time  touring  Australia,  Africa 
and  Asia.  It  was  about  two  years  after,  while  stop 
ping  at  a  fashionable  hotel  in  Berlin  that  I  discov 
ered  a  young  woman  boarding  there  by  the  name  of 
Arietta  Fogg.  So  closely  did  she  resemble  you  that 
I  supposed  it  was  you  living  there  under  an  assumed 
name.  At  first  when  I  accused  her  of  being  Arietta 
Wright,  of  Chicago,  she  denied  it  emphatically.  But 
later,  after  learning  that  I  was  a  millionaire,  she  pre 
tended  that  I  was  right  in  my  supposition  and  led 
me  to  believe  that  she  had  left  home  for  an  indefinite 
period  owing  to  some  family  disagreement  and  was 
now  traveling  incognito.  She  permitted  me  to  show 
her  many  attentions  and  gradually  we  became  very 
good  friends.  So  infatuated  with  her  charms  did  I 
become  that  I  was  her  abject  slave.  We  went  to 


BORNAGAIN  227 

Italy  and  Egypt  together  and  I  lavished  money  upon 
her  without  stint.  I  proposed  honorable  marriage 
to  her  a  hundred  times,  but  she  always  refused,  say 
ing  that  she  preferred  a  free  and  independent  life. 
We  went  to  New  York,  and  there  I  discovered  that 
there  were  other  men  besides  myself  interested  in 
her,  and  that  she  had  two  different  places  of  resi 
dence.  Several  times  I  saw  her  in  fashionable  res 
taurants  dining  with  other  men,  and  following  her 
one  night  into  the  Seraglio  Apartments,  I  found  that 
she  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  there,  of  which  I  had 
known  nothing.  She  was  somewhat  under  the  influ 
ence  of  liquor  that  night,  and  the  information  I 
secured  from  her  was  of  such  a  kind  that  it  almost 
drove  me  mad  with  jealousy,  and  in  a  fit  of  frenzy 
I  stabbed  her  to  death  with  her  own  toy  dagger  and 
left  her  lying  on  the  bed.  The  next  morning  I 
quietly  boarded  the  steamer  for  Europe,  and  keep 
ing  out  of  sight  until  away  from  land,  I  started  to 
go  to  the  purser's  office  to  pay  for  my  passage,  when 
the  very  first  person  I  met  was  you.  You  can  well 
imagine  how  it  startled  me  to  see  one  whom  I 
thought  was  dead.  But  after  the  first  shock  had 
passed  away,  and  learning  from  the  list  that  Arietta 
Wright  was  a  passenger,  I  gave  the  whole  matter 
thoughtful  consideration  and  finally  concluded  that 
Arietta  Fogg  and  Arietta  Wright  were  two  different 
persons  and  that  the  other  was  merely  a  beautiful 
adventuress  and  your  double. 

'Well,  you  know  the  rest.  You  never  did  noi 
never  would  care  for  me,  and  as  the  great  wealth 
I  so  wrongfully  acquired  cannot  buy  happiness  or 
peace  of  mind,  I  shall  ask  God  to  forgive  my  sins  and 
then  blow  out  the  brains  that  have  become  so  useless. 


228  B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N 

'  'Somewhere  in  this  world  the  right  John  Con 
vert  may  be  earning  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his 
brow,  entirely  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  is  a 
millionaire  by  birth,  for  it  was  his  father's  intention 
never  to  disclose  this  secret  to  him,  preferring  that 
he  should  spend  his  time  as  a  useful  laborer,  rather 
than  a  moneyed  loafer,  living  without  work.  Whe 
ther  he  resembles  me  at  this  age  or  not,  I  cannot  say. 
Perhaps  not,  for  my  hair  has  become  prematurely 
white  from  sin  and  worry.  Then  again,  he  may 
wear  a  beard,  while  my  face  is  clean  shaven.  But  no 
matter  where  he  is,  what  he  does,  or  how  he  looks, 
I  shall  trust  in  you  to  do  all  within  your  power  to 
try  and  locate  him,  and  deliver  into  his  hands  the 
enclosed  papers,  which  will  be  the  means  of  restor 
ing  his  possessions  to  him. 

1  'If  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  find  him,  beg 
his  forgiveness  for  me,  and  say  that  the  cause  of  all 
my  wickedness  was  money,  and  a  father  who  taught 
me  to  love  it.  With  a  prayer  to  God  for  mercy,  I 
bid  you  good-bye. 

'  'Sincerely  yours, 
'  'EDWARD   (JOHN)  CONVERT/  ' 
*  *  #  #  * 

'  'Notwithstanding  the  dreadful  contents  of  this 
letter,  I  felt  like  crying  with  joy  after  reading  it,  as 
my  mind  once  more  became  occupied  with  thoughts 
of  the  splendid  character  whom  I  had  so  ardently 
loved,  but  shamefully  deserted  in  New  York  three 
months  previously.  I  made  up  my  mind  to  return 
and  ask  his  forgiveness,  and  then  join  him  in  his 
praiseworthy  labors  of  uplifting  mankind.  Oh!  what 
happiness  I  experienced  during  the  next  few  dav= 


B  O  R  N     A  G  A  I  N  229 

in  anticipation  of  seeing  him  again  and  hearing  his 
manly  voice.  But  alas,  how  little  we  know  what 
sorrows  are  in  store  for  us!  The  steamer  arrived  at 
her  wharf  at  ten  o'clock  this  morning,  and  a  few  min 
utes  later  I  was  seated  in  a  carriage  speeding  along 
in  the  direction  of  the  Waldoria  Hotel.  At  forty 
minutes  past  ten  I  inquired  of  the  clerk  for  John 
Convert.  Then  came  the  appalling  information 
that  he  was  to  be  electrocuted  at  noon  for  the  mur 
der  of  Arietta  Fogg.  The  rest  seems  like  an  awful 
nightmare.  Getting  a  schedule  of  trains  for  Sing 
Sing,  I  rushed  outside  the  hotel,  and,  jumping  in 
the  first  cab  I  saw,  handed  the  driver  a  roll  of  bills, 
and  told  him  they  were  all  his  if  he  could  get  me  to 
the  depot  in  time  to  catch  the  eleven  o'clock  train. 
Through  the  streets  like  mad  we  whirled,  and, 
reaching  the  station,  I  quickly  alighted  and  ran  to 
the  ticket  office,  and  from  there  to  the  train,  which 
I  boarded  just  as  it  started  away.  It  was  an  express, 
which  made  no  stops  before  reaching  Sing  Sing,  and 
was  due  there  at  exactly  twelve  o'clock,  the  time 
set  for  the  electrocution.  I  told  the  conductor  that 
I  would  give  him  a  million  dollars  if  he  would  land 
me  in  Sing  Sing  fifteen  minutes  ahead  of  time,  but 
he  apparently  thought  I  was  insane,  and  paid  no 
attention  to  my  frantic  entreaties  to  go  faster.  To 
make  matters  worse,  the  train  arrived  five  minutes 
late,  but,  hoping  against  hopes,  I  got  into  a  carriage 
and  was  driven  to  the  prison. 

"Here  the  attendants  thought  I  was  crazy,  as  I 
rushed  into  the  reception  room,  crying  out  to  stop 
the  electrocution,  and  they  would  not  permit  me  to 
see  the  Warden,  who  was  in  his  private  office.  Hear 
ing  my  cries,  however,  the  Warden  came  out  to  see 


230  BORN    AGAIN 

what  was  the  trouble,  and  as  quickly  as  possible  I 
explained  to  him  the  circumstances  surrounding  the 
murder  of  Arietta  Fogg,  and  showed  him  the  written 
confession  of  Edward  Convert.  He  read  just  enough 
to  make  sure  he  was  right,  and  then  with  an  ex 
clamation  of  horror  he  rushed  out  of  the  office,  fol 
lowed  by  me.  Through  grated  doors,  long,  dismal 
corridors,  and  a  court-yard,  we  ran,  and  coming  to 
a  little,  red  brick  house,  he  broke  open  the  frame 
door  with  a  crash,  and  hurried  inside,  only  to  find 
that  we  were  just  a  minute  too  late.'  ' 


"After  a  fit  of  sobbing,  Arietta  Wright  quieted 
herself  long  enough  to  say:  "Telegraph  the  news  to 
all  parts  of  the  civilized  world  that  the  State  of  New 
York  has  just  murdered  the  noblest  mortal  of  which 
history  has  ever  made  mention.  Tell  the  inhabitants 
that  through  his  teachings  a  new  dispensation  has 
sprung  into  existence,  and  that  Sagemanism  is  born 
again.  Publicly  announce  my  firm  belief  in  the 
beautiful  principles  of  Natural  Law,  and  say  that 
henceforth  I  renounce  all  further  allegiance  to  a 
financial  civilization  which  permits  the  strong  to 
victimize  the  weak,  and  upholds  a  corrupt  and  un 
natural  system,  which  allows  schemers,  thieves, 
gamblers,  sneaks,  loafers,  spongers,  and  all  other 
kinds  of  human  parasites  to  grow  fat  off  the  labors 
of  those  who  toil.  Say  that  I  shall  take  up  the  work 
where  John  Convert  left  off,  and  devote  the  remain 
der  of  my  life  and  all  of  my  wealth  towards  the  cause 
he  advocated.'  ' 

(THE  END.) 


27  YEARS  AFTERWARD 


You  have  just  finished  reading  "BORN  AGAIN";  it  was  published 
in  the  year  of  1904. 

Now,  the  next  book  you  should  read  is  "DIRECT  CREDITS  FOR 
EVERYBODY";  it  was  published  in  the  year  of  1931. 

"BORN  AGAIN"  was  written  by  a  young  man  of  about  35  years 
of  age  and  "DIRECT  CREDITS  FOR  EVERYBODY"  was  written 
by  a  middle  aged  man  of  about  62  years  of  age. 

During  the  27  years  that  passed  between  1904  and  1931  Alfred 
Lawson  gained  an  immense  quantity  of  practical  experience  that 
added  greatly  to  his  earlier  knowledge. 

One  must  get  practical  experience  to  have  positive  knowledge. 

Up  to  the  age  of  35  Alfred  Lawson  had  gotten  practical  experience 
as  an  itinerante  newsboy,  bootblack,  farmer,  painter,  foundryman, 
carpet  weaver,  coat  maker,  sailor  and  professional  baseball  player, 
manager  and  organi/er  which  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to  travel 
extensively  throughout  America,  Europe,  Africa  and  Australia. 

Then  after  writing  "BORN  AGAIN"  Alfred  Lawson  turned  his 
attention  to  "Big  Business"  and  became  identified  with  a  number  of 
corporations,  leagues  and  associations  in  the  capacity  of  Organizer, 
Manager,  President  and  Chairman  of  the  Board. 

He  also  became  an  inventor,  a  planner,  a  manufacturer,  an  indus 
try  builder  and  founder  of  airlines. 

So  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  thrown  together 
with  financiers,  big  and  little,  and  thus  had  an  opportunity  to  gain 
the  practical  experience  necessary  to  understand  finance  in  all  of  its 
slippery  manipulations. 

So,  Lawson  was  schooled  in  Labor;  he  was  schooled  in  Industry 
and  he  was  schooled  in  Finance. 

Therefore  his  mind  was  trained  from  every  angle  of  earthly  eco 
nomics  as  adopted  by  mankind  and  he  is  capable  of  judging  hap 
penings  as  they  are  and  not  as  theorists  would  make  you  believe 
they  ought  to  be. 

So  if  you  want  to  understand  things  as  they  actually  are;  and  it 
you  want  to  get  a  balanced  opinion  of  things  free  from  all  class 
prejudices  and  misrepresentations,  then  read  "DIRECT  CREDITS 
FOR  EVERYBODY"  before  you  do  another  thing  as  it  will  be  to  your 
everlasting  advantage  to  do  so  no  matter  who  you  are  nor  what  you 
were  taught  heretofore. 

A  paper  bound  copy  of  "DIRECT  CREDITS  FOR  EVERYBODY" 
can  be  purchased  for  25  cents. 

HUMANITY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

606    WOODWARD    AVENUE  DETROIT,    MICHIGAN 

231 


Develop  Your  Intelligence 


If   you    would    understand   economics   you   must 
learn: 

1 — Lawson's  eight  word  definition  of  Economics. 
2— How  the  Equaeverpoise  establishes  economics. 
3 — The  difference  between  Finance  and  Capital. 
4 — The  difference  between  Interest  and  Profit. 

5 — The    difference    between    the   recall    and    the 
redemption  of  money. 

6 — The    difference    between    money    with    value 
and  money  without  value. 

7 — How    money    is   inflated   and   how   it   cannot 
be  inflated. 

8- — How  to  balance  purchasing  power  with  pro 
ductive  power. 

9 — How    to    stop    the    thief   from    stealing   your 
property. 

10 — Why   impractical   theories  will   not   work   in 
actual  practice. 

1 1 — Why    the    brain    must    be    fed    Truth,    not 
Falsehoods. 

12 — Why     Justice    for     Everybody    will      Harm 
Nobody. 

Such  knowledge  can  only  be  gotten  through  the 
study  of  Lawson's  Direct  Credits  Literature. 


232 


The   Aeronautic  Educator 


Between  the  years  of  1908  and  1914,  Alfred  Lawson  assumed 
the  role  of  aeronautic  educator,  and  for  more  than  seven  years  he 
spent  his  entire  time  and  money  educating  the  public  in  aviation 
and  aerostation,  scientifically,  industrially,  militarily  and  sportively, 
through  the  medium  of  his  magazines. 

If  anyone  wants  to  know  of  the  great  gap  that  existed  between 
Lawson's  teachings  in  aeronautics  and  what  the  rest  of  the  world 
believed  could  be  accomplished  in  aeronautics,  all  one  has  to  do  is 
to  read  the  magazines  that  he  published  and  edited,  and  compare 
his  writings  with  the  writings  of  everybody  else  on  that  subject  dur 
ing  those  years. 

Lawson  published  two  pioneer  aeronautic  magazines,  "Fly"  at 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  during  1908  and  1909,  and  "Aircraft"  in  New 
York  during  1910,  '11,  '12,  '13,  '14.  He  sold  his  interests  in  each  of 
these  magazines  while  they  were  at  the  height  of  their  success.  But 
in  the  meantime  he  had  educated  America  aeronautically  and  gave 
to  the  aircraft  industry  the  roots  from  which  it  has  been  able  to 
grow  substantially  ever  since. 

Aircraft  is  one  of  the  words  most  frequently  spoken  these  days 
but  prior  to  1908,  when  Lawson  coined  it,  that  word  was  entirely 
unknown.  In  1910,  when  Lawson  established  the  magazine  "Aircraft," 
he  had  the  word  trade  marked  by  the  United  States  Patent  Office. 

In  1912,  when  Lawson  edited  the  Glossary  of  Aviation  terms 
for  Webster's  Dictionary,  he  put  the  word  "Aircraft"  into  the  dic 
tionary  and  defined  it  as  "any  human  device  that  flies  or  floats  in 
the  air." 

Relative  to  the  "Aircraft"  magazine,  we  quote  from  the  book 
"Airliner,"  page  13,  the  following: 

"Under  Lawson's  skillful  management  and  editorial  work 
'Aircraft'  jumped  into  popular  favor,  and  within  a  few  months  be 
came  generally  recognized  as  the  leading  authority  on  aeronautics 
in  America.  Lawson's  superior  grasp  of  the  entire  aeronautical  move 
ment,  his  keen  perception  of  its  possibilities,  his  extraordinary  enthu 
siasm  and  optimism,  even  under  the  most  trying  conditions,  his 
bulldog  tenacity  in  holding  on  in  spite  of  every  attempt  to  shake 
him  ojj,  tiis  thorough  honesty  of  purpose  in  advocating  a  new  prin 
ciple,  his  great  foresight  into  the  future,  and  his  remarkable  ability 
to  make  others  see  things  as  he  could  see  them,  together  with  a 
splendid  literary  style,  all  combined  to  make  'Aircraft'  the  leading 
aeronautical  periodical  of  the  world,  and  its  success  for  several 
years  while  under  his  management  was  assured." 

233 


Lawson,  Inventor  of  the  Airliner 

The  airliner  will  always  be  recognized  as  a  distinct  gift  to  man 
kind  from  Alfred  W.  Lawson — one  of  those  rare  gifts  by  rare  men 
which  humanity  can  never  repay  the  inventor  for. 

For  many  years  Lawson  had  been  preparing  for  this  great  in 
vention,  and  when  the  time  arrived  for  action  he  made  a  perfect 
job  of  it. 

Lawson  knew  from  the  beginning  that  the  airplane  would  be 
useless  until  it  had  an  earning  capacity — until  it  could  compete  with 
other  methods  of  transportation  from  an  economic  standpoint. 

Air  transportation,  therefore,  was  assured  when  Lawson  created 
the  airliner  and  gave  to  the  airplane  a  commercial  status  with  an 
economic  foundation. 

Before  Lawson  invented,  designed,  built  and  navigated  the  first 
airliner,  the  airplane  had  no  earning  power  except  for  exhibition 
purposes  in  which  itinerant  aviators  took  up  a  passenger  or  two  at 
a  time  for  a  few  minutes'  novelty  ride  and  for  which  was  invariably 
charged  the  exorbitant  fare  of  one  dollar  per  minute. 

At  such  a  rate  it  can  be  readily  understood  that  in  case  a  pas 
senger  wanted  to  ride  from  New  York  to  Chicago  and  the  time 
required  for  the  trip  was  eight  hours  or  480  minutes,  that  it  would 
cost  the  passenger  $480  as  against  say  $48  by  railroad  train — ten 
times  as  much — so  that  competition  with  the  railroads  was  out  of 
the  question. 

Before  Lawson  created  the  Airliner  most  airplanes  were  built 
to  carry  one  passenger — that  is  to  say,  it  'required  one  pilot  for 
each  passenger  transported. 

Quite  naturally,  then,  such  air  service  could  not  compete  with 
a  railroad  train  carrying  hundreds  of  passengers  and  hauled  by  a 
locomotive  with  but  one  engineer  and  one  fireman,  any  more  than 
another  railroad  could  if  it  used  one  locomotive  and  one  engineer 
for  each  passenger  carried. 

Lawson,  being  a  practical  man,  set  about  to  construct  an  air 
craft  that  would  carry  large  numbers  of  passengers  with  but  one 
person  to  pilot  it. 

His  first  Airliner  could  carry  18  passengers  with  one  pilot,  while 
it  required  18  planes  and  18  pilots  to  haul  18  passengers  by  the 
old  methods. 

Lawson  solved  the  economic  problem  of  air  transportation  by 
constructing  large  ships  with  spacious  cabins  and  large  cariving 
capacity,  and  thereby  made  the  airplane  an  asset  to  mankind. 

234 


Lawson,  Founder  of  Airlines 

The  definition  of  the  word  "airliner"  by  Alfred  W.  Lawson  in 
1919  was:  "A  heavier-than-air  craft  of  commercial  design  with  cabin 
capable  of  seating  eighteen  or  more  people  and  of  sufficient  height 
to  allow  passengers  to  walk  erect  from  end  to  end  without  inter 
ference  from  crosswires  or  bracings  of  any  sort." 

Such   a  ship  had  never  flown   the  skies  before. 

The  airline  took  its  name  from  the  airliner,  which  by  the  way 
is  the  highest  type  of  heavier-than-air  craft,  just  as  the  airship  is 
the  highest  type  of  lighter-than-air  craft. 

In  the  lighter-than-air  craft  the  Montgolfier  Brothers  were  first 
to  build  and  demonstrate  the  spherical  balloon;  Guyot  was  the  first 
to  build  and  Tisandier  the  first  to  demonstrate  the  cigar  shaped 
balloon  or  non-rigid  'dirigible:  and  Zeppelin  was  the  first  to  build 
and  demonstrate  the  rigid  dirigible,  or  airship. 

In  heavier-than-air  craft  the  Wright  Brothers  were  first  to  build 
and  demonstrate  a  motor  driven,  man-carrying  airplane;  Curtiss 
was  the  first  to  build  and  demonstrate  the  flying  boat  and  Lawson 
was  the  first  to  buiiu  and  demonstrate  the  Commercial  Airliner. 

It  is  worth  noting  that  all  three  basic  factors  of  the  lighter- 
than-air  craft  were  invented  by  Europeans  and  first  demonstrated  in 
Europe,  while  all  three  basic  factors  of  the  heavier-than-air  craft 
were  invented  by  Americans  and  first  demonstrated  in  America. 

So  airliners  and  airlines  were  first  started  in  America,  although 
the  Zeppelin  Transportation  Company  operated  airships  in  Germany 
previously. 

During  the  year  of  1920  the  United  States  Post  Office  Depart 
ment  showed  its  faith  in  Lawson  by  giving  him  a  contract  to  carry 
the  mail  through  the  air  over  three  different  routes  for  the  sum  of 
$685,000.00  a  year. 

The  service  was  to  have  begun  by  May  13th,  1921,  but  owing 
to  the  financial  depression  which  overspread  this  country  during  the 
latter  part  of  1920  and  1921,  Lawson's  backers  were  unable  to  fur 
nish  the  cash  to  carry  on  the  business,  and  Lawson,  for  the  want  of 
sufficient  finances  with  which  to  operate  upon,  was  compelled  to  ask 
the  Government  to  cancel  the  contract. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  airlines  Lawson  mapped  out  in 
1919  for  the  people  of  the  U.  S.  A.  is  practically  the  same  map  of 
airlines  that  now  spread  out  all  over  this  great  'land  and  the  money 
value  of  which  runs  up  into  the  billions  of  dollars. 

235 


WORLD'S  LEADING  PASSENGER 
AEROPLANE  BUILDER 

During  the  seven  years  that  Mr.  Lawson  has 
been  the  world's  leading  passenger  aeroplane 
builder  he  has  evolved  three  distinct  types  of  air 
liners,  each  many  years  ahead  of  the  world's  best, 
each  a  step  further  to  attain  maximum  safety, 
economy  and  comfort. 

The  new  double-tier  100-passenger  super-air 
liner  which  he  is  now  building,  however,  makes 
all  of  ms  great  work  of  the  past  Loon  small  by 
comparison.  Mr.  Lawson  believes  that  these 
giant  aeroplanes  will  be  able  to  carry  passengers 
for  less  cost  than  the  railroads.  For  military 
purposes  whole  armies  can  be  transported  from 
place  to  place  more  quickly,  efficiently  and  eco 
nomically  than  by  any  other  method  of  convey 
ance.  With  a  thousand  of  these  Lawson  super- 
airliners  an  army  of  100,000  troops  could  be 
quickly  transplanted  behind  the  enemy's  lines 
and  fight  the  enemy  from  both  front  and  rear  of 
their  positions. 

From  SCIENTIFIC  AGE  for  January,  1927. 


236 


ILLINOIS  AIRCRAFT  CORPORATION 

Chicago,  Illinois. 

September  6th,  1918. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Lawson: 

Carl  Bates  and  I  have  received  your  Bulletins 
and  have  read  them  with  great  interest.  Were 
it  not  for  the  fact  that  you  are  so  far  in  advance 
of  the  other  earth  beings  in  this  air  game  ive 
would  think  it  extraordinary  that  a  man  could 
ivrite  and  prophesy  the  things  that  will  surely 
come  to  pass  in  the  near  future. 

The  other  day  Carl  and  I  were  going  over 
some  of  the  bound  volumes  of  aircraft.  Written 
all  through  its  pages  are  the  prophesies  of  things 
that  are  now  taking  place.  So  to  us  Alfred  W. 
Lawson's  qualities  are  known  and  it  is  no  sur 
prise  to  us  to  read  these  bulletins.  The  thing 
that  does  vex  us,  however,  is  to  see  some  of  the 
parrots  and  other  classes  of  imitators  trying  to 
get  away  with  your  stuff  in  the  press. 

Your  sincere  friend  and  aerial  neighbor, 

CAPT.  HORACE  B.  WILD. 


237 


Direct  Credits  for  Everybody 

Direct  Credits  for  Everybody  is  the  book  that  thrills  everybody 
that  reads  it,  that  is,  those  who  have  a  spark  of  Justice  within 
themselves. 

We  may  have  thought  that  we  knew  something  about  Economics 
before  studying  Direct  Credits  for  everybody,  but  after  studying  it 
for  awhile,  we  all  realize  that  we  had  been  harboring  a  lot  of  false 
notions  upon  the  subject. 

There  is  a  good  reason  why  we  never  learned  the  truth  about 
Economics,  and  that  is  because  all  Avenues  of  Publicity  have  been 
closed  to  the  truth,  as  the  truth  would  show  up  those  who  gain 
by  teaching  false  Economics. 

There  is  no  chance  for  any  one  to  learn  the  truth  about  Econ 
omics  under  present  false  publicity  and  fraudulent  school  methods. 
The  people  are  taught  tricks  but  never  get  knowledge.  The  tricks 
they  are  taught  are  the  tricks  of  the  financier. 

What  the  financier,  or  his  agents  teach,  is  not  Economics,  but  a 
cheating  game  that  enables  them  to  take  the  people's  wealth  from 
them.  What  others  have  written  in  books  is  not  Economics,  but 
schemes  by  impractical  theorists. 

So,  when  one  reads  Direct  Credits  for  Everybody  for  the  first 
time,  one  feels 'like  a  man  who  has  just  satisfied  his  thirst  at  an  oasis 
in  the  desert. 

The  records  show  that  nine  out  'of  every  ten  people  who  read 
Direct  Credits  for  Everybody  become  ardent  followers  of  its  prin 
ciples. 

What  is  there  about  that  little  seventy-page  book  that  awakens 
the  souls  of  almost  everybody  that  'reads  it?  Nothing  but  the  truth. 
So,  as  the  people  have  been  starving  for  the  truth  during  their 
whole  lives,  those  who  'get  it  from  Direct  Credits  for  Everybody  are 
aroused  to  the  noblest  impulses  within  themselves,  and  feel  as  if 
they  have  received  a  divine  inspiration. 

Lawson  has  given  to  the  world  a  new  sentence  of  five  words 
that  will  never 'die.  They  are:  "Justice  for  everybody  harms  nobody." 

Then  he  tells  the  people  that  they  must  have  "a  purchasing 
power  equal  to  their  productive  power."  That  sentence  shows  both 
justice  and  incentive. 

All  Economic  writers  of  the  past  mention  but  two  classes  in  the 
struggle  for  existence — Capital  and  Labor — but  Lawson  proves  that 
there  are  three  distinct  classes  at  war  with  one  another — Finance, 
Capital  and  Labor.  He  shows  that  there  is  as  much  difference  be 
tween  Capital  and  Finance  as  there  is  between  milk  and  a  sponge, 
and  that  Finance  will  soon  swallow  up  Capital  and  crush  Labor. 
Lawson  says  that  Capital  and  Labor  must  stand  together  and  fight 
together  to  save  themselves  from  destruction. 

238 


LAWSONOMY 

FROM    GOD    TO    MAN 

By  ALFRED  LAWSON 


LAWSOXOMY  is  the  base  of  absolute  knowledge. 

KNOWLEDGE  is  Truth  arid  if  it  isn't  Truth  then  it  is  not 
Lawsonomy. 

LAWSONOMY  being  the  base  of  absolute  Knowledge  it  shows  the 
base  of  all  Natural  Laws. 

THERE  ARE  NO  THEORIES  connected  with  Lawsonomy — every 
thing  must  be  provable  or  it  is  not  Lawsonomy. 

TRUTH  is  that  which  is,  not  that  which  ain't.  As  there  ain't  no 
ain't,  Lawsonomy  teaches  only  that  which  is. 

THEORIES  are  that  which  ain't — guesswork — so  the  people  have 
been  miseducated  during  the  past,  to  a  large  extent,  in  that  which 
ain't. 

AS  LAWSONOMY  is  the  base  of  absolute  Knowledge  it  naturally 
shows  the  base  of  ECONOMICS.  It  shows  God's  Economics  which  is 
—THE  UTILIZATION  OF  EVERYTHING  WITHOUT  THE  LOSS 
OF  ANYTHING.  It  gives  God's  formula  how  it  is  done. 

ONE  MUST  STUDY  LAWSONOMY  to  get  the  base  of  Direct 
Credits  for  Everybody. 

DIRECT  CREDITS  FOR  EVERYBODY  shows  how  Economics 
should  be  operated  here  on  Earth — Lawsonomy  shows  how  Econom 
ics  is  operated  throughout  all  Space. 

ONE  WILL  OBTAIN  a  greater  understanding  of  Direct  Credits 
for  Everybody  if  one  studies  Lawsonomy. 

IT  REQUIRED  SIXTY  YEARS  for  the  founder  of  Lawsonomy  to 
understand  its  principles — no  one's  mentality  can  grasp  it  in  a  day 
or  a  year.  Your  mental  strength  will  increase  in  proportion  to  the 
study  you  give  it. 

LAWSONOMY 

.  .  .  Showing  the  Physical  Manifestation  of  Life 
VOL.    1— CLOTH   BOUND   -  223   PAGES— PRICE  $2.00 

HUMANITY  PUBLISHING  CO. 

606   WOODWARD    AVE.,    DETROIT,    MICHIGAN 
239 


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